Fidelity's Fault
by songbird4Him
Summary: No one is perfect, and Sigyn is no different. She was painted by the Midgardians to be faithful to a fault, but even Sigyn makes mistakes. When she trades Loki a wrong for a wrong her world comes crashing down, and the long-standing order of one of the other Realms comes along with it. A/U pre-Thor and post-Thor: The Dark World. Rated M for later chapters.
1. First impressions

Author's Note: Well I swore I wouldn't write another story for this particular universe, but I am caving in and doing it anyway! This idea has nagged at me for the past week, and I can't put it off any longer. For any of you that might have read my first story you should know that this story has NO connection to it. This is an entirely different incarnation of Sigyn, so the plots do not overlap anywhere. Unlike my last story I don't have everything planned out, just a general idea of where I want it to go so any and all reader suggestions are more than welcome. It is AU, but I will do my best not to contradict any canon plots from the movies. (If you are a fan of the comic or mythology I am afraid I am throwing a lot out, sorry!) I own nothing save my interpretation of Sigyn and her family. Let the random story begin!

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"Loki, why the sour look?" Thor asked in a tone that Loki thought was far too cheery for someone who was only on their first glass of wine.

"What sour look brother?" Loki replied instinctively.

"Your face is set in a firm grimace, if I didn't know better I would say that you are already bored with our tales of battle…" Thor replied before finishing off his goblet.

_"If you didn't know any better indeed…"_ Loki thought silently to himself.

He already looked bored because he _was_ bored. How many times could Thor tell this story without loosing his enthusiasm for it, and how many goblets of wine did he plan to consume before dinner even started? He was starting in on his second, and guests were still arriving for the banquet. Loki sighed internally. Sif still seemed enthralled with Thor's story, and would no doubt beg him to go into further detail…again. Loki decided he should just be grateful that he came out looking pretty good in this particular tale too.

Loki shifted his gaze over to his parents. At the moment they were receiving guests, and Loki was relieved that he and Thor were still young enough to avoid that particular duty. He could stand having to participate in skirmishes and minor battles, but Loki's insides twisted into a knot at the prospect of having to stand on those stairs and pretend to pay attention to every guest that came in. He really needed to perfect that replication spell so he could just project an image of himself there and avoid the whole thing entirely. He probably still had about a year before Frigga would insist that he and Thor start taking up duties as hosts for these types of events. Loki was so focused on contemplating his growing list of duties that he didn't notice that Sif had gone off to sit with her family, but a sharp jab from Thor's elbow brought his mind quickly back to the present.

"So do you think I can convince Sif to join me in my chambers later?" Thor asked with a smile.

Thor was at the age where he starting to fill out, and the attention he received from the ladies hadn't taken long to go to his head. He was still good-natured though perhaps he was a bit too good-natured with the girls. Loki had had the extreme misfortune of walking in on Thor during one of his romantic escapades, but it had hardly been his fault. If Thor had wanted privacy he should have kept his amorous exploits to the bedroom.

Loki glanced at Sif quickly, and noticed that she was still sending looks towards Thor and flipping her golden hair about. He turned back to face his elder brother.

"I doubt she will need much convincing." Loki assured with a sly smirk. "You know mother would be livid if she knew what a philanderer you have grown into." He teased.

Thor threw his arm around Loki's shoulder.

"And she would cringe if she realized what a rapscallion you can be."

"Fair enough." Loki conceded before clinking his goblet against Thor's and taking a long drink.

Thor slammed his goblet down with vigor and cracked his knuckles.

"So which lovely Lady are you going to seduce with your elegant words this evening?" the elder Prince asked.

Loki set his goblet down gently and shrugged his shoulders.

"I haven't thought about it." He stated.

Thor sent him a dubious look. "You haven't thought about it? It shouldn't require much thought Loki, just take a look around the room for a girl that catches your eye… I mean you have done this before haven't you brother?"

"Of course I have." Loki lied. "Unlike you however, I try to put a little thought into my decision."

"Well don't put too much thought into it brother, it is not as if you are looking for your soul mate." Thor reminded him.

Loki smiled, but the conversation was dropped as Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg took temporary seats opposite the brothers.

The five began discussing battles, but Loki's mind soon wandered from that topic back to his conversation with Thor. Loki had most certainly been lying when he had insinuated to Thor that he had been with a woman before. He wasn't embarrassed by the fact that he hadn't bedded a girl yet, but if he had admitted it to Thor he would have been forced to listen to a lecture on the "proper" way to woo a woman into bed. Of course Thor's "proper" way was simply sweeping them off their feet with his good looks and sunny disposition, and Loki didn't really have that option. Loki was slightly worried about his lagging physical maturity, but since he was younger than Thor he supposed it was to be expected.

Loki swirled his goblet on the table and watched the wine inside spin around. Perhaps it was time that he bedded a girl. It couldn't hurt, and who knew, he might actually enjoy the experience. Sure he didn't have Thor's looks or personality, but he had other qualities that could endear him to the fairer sex. Loki glanced around the room and noticed several girls that were close enough to his age to try his charming tongue upon. Loki smirked. This new challenge would certainly spice up the evening if nothing else.

Loki refocused on Thor and his friends when Fandral's story was interrupted by the arrival of the family who would be sitting where Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg were currently positioned. The "Warriors Three," as they were now calling themselves, threw Thor a disappointed look, but vacated their seats anyways. Loki watched silently as Thor welcomed the new arrivals to the banquet, and he recognized the eldest man to be Halldor, one of Odin's chief advisors. It was his son Hallsteinn whom the banquet was being thrown for. From what Loki had heard, Hallsteinn and his division had been fighting against a recent uprising when their leader was killed. Amidst the chaos, Hallsteinn had been able to take charge of his division, and he eventually led the men to a decisive victory. For his actions, he was to be the guest of honor. Halldor talked some with Thor as his wife Signy sat silently by. Loki glanced from Halldor and Signy to their children. The pair was rather well-known for their surprising number of offspring. In Asgard it was rare for a couple to have more than three children, yet Signy and Halldor had six. Though the Norns had been kind enough to give them six children, they had been cruel enough to take three of them away. Loki had been told that the eldest daughter had died in childbirth along with the baby, the younger of their two sons had gone missing in battle, and that their second youngest daughter had recently died in an accident of some sort. The most recent loss still showed clearly on the family though they seemed to be doing their best to hide it. The two remaining daughters were sitting across from Loki. He had seen the elder of the two at banquets before, and he knew her name was Frida. The younger girl, however, had never been in court before this that Loki could recall. She appeared to be slightly younger than him, but she was certainly past the age when young Ladies were normally introduced into Odin's court. Loki assumed that her parents had been waiting to formally introduce her into court life since she had two elder unmarried sisters already present there. The recent death of her sister would account for her newfound presence here.

Loki decided that he should at least introduce himself to the two girls, and upon introduction he learned that the younger girl's name was Sigyn. Once the introduction was complete, Loki turned back to Thor and began conversing with him, but he made sure to watch Sigyn and Frida with his peripheral vision. The two girls seemed a little strained in their interaction with one another, but Loki could tell that Frida was concerned for Sigyn, who seemed to be a bit anxious about something. Loki assumed that it was simply nerves getting to her, and his thoughts were confirmed when Frida pushed a rather full glass of wine towards her younger sister. Loki let out a small chuckle when Sigyn took a rather large gulp of the wine, crinkled her nose in disgust, and took a second large swallow anyway. Sigyn shot him an embarrassed look upon hearing the chuckle, and Loki realized that he had been full-out staring at her. He quickly covered with a cough, but not surprisingly it didn't seem to fool Sigyn.

"Does something amuse you My Prince?" She asked shyly.

"It is rare that something does not amuse me." Loki admitted.

Sigyn smiled. "That does not surprise me given your reputation." She replied honestly.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "My reputation?"

Sigyn's smile quickly faded, and the fear that she might have offended one of the Princes of Asgard shone in her eyes.

"I meant no offense My Prince." She quickly amended.

Loki leaned forward on his elbows and rested his chin on his hands. "Of course you didn't, but now I am curious. What reputation has preceded me?" He enquired.

Sigyn seemed to relax at Loki's casual response, and a slight gleam returned to her eyes.

"I have merely heard that you take pleasure in games and common tricks, but I know little of the court so your full reputation is rather a mystery to me."

"My tricks are far from common," Loki defended before continuing on, " but I see nothing in either of those observations that would lead you to believe that I am rarely bored." He pointed out.

Sigyn took another drink from her goblet, and kept her gaze fixed on the table as she replied.

"Well I would imagine that there are many things in the palace that could be a source of entertainment for a Prince, but those rare times when you do feel less-than amused you can create your own amusement through playing a game or enacting some sort of trick."

Loki smiled at her reasoning. "You mean to say that I am easily amused?"

"No My Prince, I mean to say that you are creative enough to keep yourself occupied."

Loki rested his arms on the table and clasped his hands in front of him. "An interesting assessment considering you had not met me till this evening."

Sigyn raised her eyes to meet his. "I have heard enough stories to draw my own conclusions about your highness's more obvious talents."

Loki waited a moment for her to expand on that statement, but she refused to say any more.

_"What a strange girl." _He thought silently. _"She seems very assured of her assessment of me despite the obvious timidity of her interaction so far..."_

He found it interesting that she had used the word creative in lieu of mischievous, which is how most people described his manner of self-entertainment. Perhaps she was just as amused by the stories of his exploits as he was by pulling them.

A sharp kick to Loki's calf alerted him that Thor had been observing his conversation with Sigyn, and he turned to face his older brother.

"She seems a suitable choice." Thor whispered to Loki as Sigyn and Frida began to converse.

"I am glad to know you approve." Loki replied in a sarcastic tone.

"No need for the condescension." Thor replied. "Do you not find her attractive?"

"She is pretty Thor, but I don't simply wish to bed a girl because she is attractive. She seems a bit… timid, and I am not sure that is a trait I want in a woman who I intend to share my bed with."

"I am not sure it is timidity brother." Thor responded. "I think it is nerves…"

Thor nodded his head in Sigyn's direction and Loki glanced at her subtly. She was laughing uneasily at whatever the man next to her was saying while a servant refilled her goblet. As the chalice was set down in front of her again a relieved smile graced her features. She took it and placed it to her lips while still keeping her attention on her companion. Loki turned back to Thor.

"She better be careful, she doesn't strike me as someone who has had much drinking experience." Loki pointed out.

"Which is why I think it is merely nerves that ails her." Thor reasoned.

Loki sighed. Every once in a while Thor would actually make some logical sense, and this was one of those times. Loki had already determined earlier that Sigyn was drinking to soothe her nerves, but the fact that Thor came to the same conclusion confirmed any lingering doubt he had. Loki also knew that if she wasn't careful Sigyn was going to feel a little more than tipsy later on.

The arrival of the guest of honor signaled that the feast was to begin, and Thor let the topic of Loki bedding Sigyn go in favor of eating. Loki on the other hand continued to consider the possibility. She seemed to be around his age, she had been interesting enough to talk to so far, and she was attractive. Nothing seemed to stand out as a major concern, so as the dinner progressed Loki began to formulate a plan of attack. The wine had certainly relaxed her, which would aid him in his conquest. He was completely confident that he could merely talk her into sleeping with him, but he was grateful for the assistance of the wine since it was his first attempt at this.

Sigyn spoke very little over dinner. Instead, she seemed to prefer listening to other's stories and commenting when she deemed it necessary. Long after Loki had tired of the idle talk Sigyn was still listening attentively. She seemed to be taking in each story she heard as if she was putting them to memory. For all he knew, she was. Loki decided that asking her would be a good way to open up a line of conversation later. Loki was pleased when the final course of the meal had been removed from the table. Dance music began to fill the hall, and Loki knew it was time to put his plan into action.

"Care to dance m'Lady?" Loki asked Sigyn after a large number of people vacated their seats either to dance or gossip in little groups around the room.

"Do I really have the option of refusing a Prince?" She asked.

"No, not really." He replied with a shrug.

"Well then I suppose I don't mind terribly Prince Loki." She responded.

Loki made sure no one was paying attention before he stood on the bench that had formerly been his seat and used the table to step over to the bench where Sigyn was sitting. He jumped off the bench and extended his hand out to her. Sigyn gave him a peculiar glance, but placed her hand in his anyway. Once they were comfortably on the dance floor Loki took some time to observe her a little more. She seemed to be fighting his lead, and she kept her gaze directed squarely on his upper chest.

"This would be more pleasant if you would simply relax. I am surprised after four glasses of wine that you could possibly be this tense." Loki commented.

"It was only three glasses of wine." Sigyn corrected.

"No, I am fairly certain it was four." He argued.

Sigyn looked up to meet his gaze with a firm look. "It was three, the last two glasses were a half and half mixture of water and wine."

"Still, after three glasses of the AllFather's wine I find it difficult to believe that you can stand, let alone struggle against me while dancing. Do you not trust me?" Loki prodded.

"The truth or a lie My Prince?" Sigyn asked.

Loki smirked.

"The truth, it would be too easy for me to detect a lie."

Sigyn shifted the hand that was on Loki's shoulder and let her gaze fall to an imaginary piece of fuzz there.

"I do not. I observed your behavior at dinner. You watched me as someone might watch a caged bird in hopes of hearing it sing, and do not think that I did not..."

Just as suddenly as Sigyn's reprimand had begun, she stopped.

" 'Do not think that you did not' what?" Loki prodded.

Sigyn brought her eyes to meet Loki's once again.

"It was nothing My Prince, to say any more would be to overstep my place." She excused.

Inconveniently for Loki, the song finished and Sigyn pulled away, curtsied, and quickly left the dance floor. Loki watched her go off to Frida's side. Frida seemed slightly annoyed by her younger sister's intrusion since she had been talking with a rather attractive guard, but Sigyn seemed to pay no heed to her sister's annoyance. Loki considered following after her to see how she would react, but a hand on his shoulder grabbed his attention.

"Do I not get a dance now that you are old enough to flirt with the Ladies of the court?" Frigga asked.

Loki turned to face his mother and smiled.

"Who said anything about me flirting?" He retorted innocently.

"Loki I am your mother, you cannot deceive me…nor her apparently." The Queen added before allowing her son to lead her around the dance floor.


	2. Not according to plan

Sigyn stayed close by Frida for a little while longer. She was well aware that she was interrupting a flirtatious conversation, but she knew Frida would understand when she explained her reasoning later that evening. After a little while she freed Frida and her new companion of her presence, and went to sit down for a bit. She observed the many guests about the hall and sighed. They were all so content to drink and be merry. Did they never desire peace and solitude? She would give anything to go sit quietly with a book for a little while, or to partake in a conversation that did not have anything to do with battle or romance. Her eyes fell on Prince Loki for a moment, and he quickly shifted his gaze elsewhere. Sigyn mentally rolled her eyes. This was not the first time she had caught him looking at her since they parted on the dance floor. Sigyn had had hopes for the younger Prince of Asgard. From the stories that Frida had told her he sounded like someone she would get along well with. He was supposedly an avid reader and magician that liked to partake in thought-provoking conversation, but on meeting him Sigyn had been sorely disappointed. He seemed to have no other thoughts on his mind save thinly veiled flirtation. After a few moments reprieve, Sigyn went off to converse with a group of girls that she had some previous acquaintance with.

The evening progressed quicker than Sigyn had anticipated, and she actually found that she was enjoying herself. She had managed to get through one more glass of wine, but had decided that four was most assuredly her limit. Families began to take their leave, and lovers began to sneak off to shadowed corners of the palace. Sigyn noticed that Prince Thor and his female friend had made their exit at some point, along with several others of her peers. One person who hadn't taken their leave yet however, was Prince Loki, and Sigyn inwardly grimaced as he approached her. There was no avoiding him now that the number of people their age in the great hall had diminished significantly.

"Lady Sigyn." He greeted smoothly.

"Prince Loki." She returned with a nod of her head.

"Have you enjoyed your evening?" He asked casually.

"I don't know, perhaps you can tell me since you have hardly turned your gaze from me this entire banquet." Sigyn replied.

"You sound offended by that." Loki pointed out.

"Not offended, merely disappointed." Sigyn corrected.

"Disappointed?" Loki said in a genuinely confused tone. "Why is it so disappointing to receive attention from a Prince…unless of course it is not from the Prince you had hoped to receive attention from…" Loki trailed off.

Sigyn was momentarily surprised by the sudden tone of hurt that Loki's voice took on.

"I assure you that my disappointment does not stem from the lack of attention I have received from your brother." Sigyn encouraged.

Loki's look held no confidence in her words, and Sigyn rolled her eyes.

"Do you really doubt my words? Was it not you yourself that earlier stated it would be all too easy to spot a lie in them?"

Sigyn paused expectantly and Loki finally smirked.

"Walk with me." He requested.

Loki began to walk towards a set of open doors, and Sigyn had no choice but to follow. The dark-haired Prince had clasped his hands behind his back, and Sigyn had to lift the hem of her dress up so that she could best match his long strides. Though he was only a few inches taller than her now, Sigyn had a strong feeling that in a few years he would tower over her.

"So tell me Sigyn, what about my attentions has disappointed you?" He asked.

"The nature of them."

Loki gave her a puzzled but interested look so Sigyn continued.

"I had heard from Frida that you were an avid reader, a magician even, and I had hoped that you might have preferred to talk of those things. When you made it clear that your only interest in me was physical I was admittedly disappointed that you hadn't lived up to my expectations."

Loki cast his gaze ahead.

"I am sorry to have disappointed you m'Lady." Loki apologized. "Tell me though, were my intentions so easy to see."

"Perhaps not to most, but I have been known to be particularly observant… and I did overhear some of your conversation with Thor…" She admitted.

Loki gave a chuckle. "So there is the great secret that you would not reveal on the dance floor. You are a habitual eavesdropper."

"I do not believe I should be labeled as such. Prince Thor is hardly a proficient whisperer." Sigyn defended.

"Take care how you speak of a Prince m'Lady, a comment like that could find you in the AllFather's dungeon." Loki teased.

Sigyn did not take Loki's words for the jest that they were, and stopped dead in her tracks.

"You will not tell him I said such will you?" She pleaded.

Loki shook his head 'no'. He had forgotten that Sigyn knew little of court, and while he was flattered by the power she perceived he and Thor had as Princes, it was far from the truth. Given the circumstances however, he didn't deem it necessary to correct her on that topic just yet.

"It shall be our secret, but you will have to learn to watch your tongue if you wish to survive long in court." He advised.

Sigyn caught back up to him.

"I cannot imagine that it is as difficult to survive as you would have me believe." She determined.

"It depends on how adaptable you are." Loki stated while going to lean on a rail that separated the hallways of the palace from one of its many outdoor gardens.

Sigyn joined him there and looked out into the courtyard.

"It is a beautiful night." She sighed while looking up at the stars.

"I believe it is actually almost morning." Loki corrected.

"Well then it is a beautiful _morning_." She retorted good-naturedly.

Loki looked up towards the heavens as well and smiled.

"Do you know your constellations?" He questioned.

Sigyn shrugged.

"Only a few of them."

"Show me." He requested.

Sigyn began to point out the ones she was familiar with, and a happy smile lit up her features as she began telling the stories behind them. Once she had found all the ones she knew, Loki took over and Sigyn watched as he pointed out his favorite ones. She kept her gaze mostly on the sky, but every once in a while she would glance over at the Prince standing beside her. The moonlight accentuated his pale skin and his dark hair seemed to melt into the darkness that surrounded them. It wasn't till his green eyes were staring back at her that Sigyn realized Loki had stopped talking. Embarrassment rushed through her veins, causing her cheeks to flush even more than the wine already had. Loki's smirk was both infuriating and charming.

"Is something the matter?" He asked in a knowing tone.

"No My Prince…"

"You could call me by my given name you know." He pointed out.

Sigyn ignored the comment.

"Does something appear to be wrong?" She asked instead.

"Your cheeks have taken on a rather red tint. Perhaps you have drunk a little too much wine?" He suggested though he knew the true reason behind her blush.

"Yes, perhaps that is the case." Sigyn responded though she knew that Loki was aware of its true cause.

Loki had her flustered, which was right where he wanted her. All he had to do now was move in for the kiss, and he was certain she would give him the rest. She didn't draw back as Loki moved his body closer to hers, and his adrenaline began to quicken. He could have sworn that his lips had barely brushed Sigyn's when a hot stinging sensation filled his left cheek. His head recoiled to the side from Sigyn's slap, and he stood a bit dumbfounded for a moment. A gasp immediately left Sigyn's lips, and she covered her mouth while stumbling back in shock at her own actions. Loki brought a hand to his cheek before turning his gaze to her. The second his eyes landed on Sigyn's, she picked up the hem of her dress in a rather unladylike manner and bolted. Loki tried to get a hold of her arm as she ran past him, but missed. He could have chased after her, but instead he just watched her retreating form disappear around a corner. He couldn't believe that she had had the nerve to strike a Prince of Asgard, and he suddenly found it amusing that he had worried about her being too timid to share his bed. He wasn't sure if he should be impressed with her tenacity, angered by her brazen disrespect of his position, or embarrassed by her sharp rejection. In the end, he decided that it would just be best to be impressed. Sigyn would probably give herself enough grief over her actions without his intervention, and he planned to exploit that the next time they met.


	3. Subject to the whip of her own remorse

Author's Note: Hello everyone! I cannot express how happy I am to have followers after only two chapters, it is such a nice feeling. I was also very flattered by your kind review Reteka Hyuuga, I hope you continue to enjoy the story :) I only own Sigyn and her family, and as always helpful feedback is welcomed.

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Sigyn's heart was pounding as she ran as quickly as she could down the corridor back to the banqueting hall.

_"I just slapped a Prince…I just SLAPPED a PRINCE!"_ she panicked to herself.

If insulting a Prince landed you in the dungeon where would slapping one land you?

_"Probably the executioners block…"_ she answered her own question morbidly.

She stopped in front of the doors to the banqueting hall and glanced around. No one seemed to be chasing her, but she doubted Loki had time to inform anyone of her actions yet. She pulled herself together as best she could, and entered the banqueting hall. She spotted her mother and father and immediately made as graceful a beeline to them as possible.

"Are we soon to depart?" She asked in an innocent tone.

"It is hardly after midnight and you already wish to leave?" Her father asked curiously.

Sigyn nodded. "I feel a little light-headed, and I am afraid I have consumed a little too much wine." She admitted. "I could unhitch one of the horses from the carriage and ride back by myself if you wish." She offered.

Halldor gave his daughter a worried look. "I am not sure that is the safest thing to do Sigyn…"

"I will be fine father, I promise. I simply suffer from a slight headache it is not as though I have drunk myself into a stupor." Sigyn pointed out.

"Signy?" Halldor asked his wife.

Signy gave Sigyn a rather blank look and sighed. "She will be fine." She finally determined.

Sigyn curtsied to her parents gratefully and began to head out of the grand hall. She was almost to the doors when the Queen stopped her.

"Are you and your family leaving so soon?" Frigga asked.

Sigyn immediately dropped into a deep curtsy in front of the Queen and shook her head 'no' while keeping her eyes cast respectfully to the ground.

"No My Queen, it is only me that is departing. My family intends to stay a while longer."

"Rise my child." The Queen encouraged in a kind tone. "There is no need to be so formal at such a party. Now tell me, is everything all right?"

"Yes, My Queen. I fear I have not developed a tolerance for the AllFather's wine yet." She excused.

"I see, and do you intend to walk home?" The Queen asked worriedly.

"No, I will take one of the horses from the carriage." Sigyn informed.

Frigga examined Sigyn's dress.

"I could have someone take you home if you wish. I am sure Loki is nearby and would appreciate the chance to slip away from the banquet…"

"No My Queen!" Sigyn interrupted suddenly.

Frigga gave Sigyn a questioning look, and Sigyn immediately cast her gaze to the floor once more while racking her brain for some excuse for her rude outburst.

"It is just… well I am fairly certain that I saw Loki with… with a girl earlier, and I would hate to interrupt him." She lied with a smile.

Frigga smiled at the lie, but didn't bother to contradict Sigyn.

"Well I am sure your horse is not saddled with a side-saddle, and you certainly cannot ride home like a man in a dress." She pointed out.

Sigyn smiled a genuine smile.

"I am sure I will be able to make do My Queen." She assured.

"Nonsense, I will not hear of you simply 'making due.' Follow me my dear." Frigga beckoned.

For the second time that evening, Sigyn had no option but to follow a member of the royal family to some unknown location. Fortunately she trusted the Queen's intentions where she hadn't trusted Loki's. Loki…the royal Prince she had physically assaulted, if you counted slapping as a physical assault.

_"Perhaps I should tell the Queen what I've done. She is kind, maybe she would have mercy on me…" _Sigyn contemplated while she followed Frigga down another hallway.

It wasn't long before they were standing in front of a door, and the Queen knocked firmly. There was no reply from inside so Frigga pushed the door open. The room was dark when Sigyn stepped in, but Frigga quickly lit the candles in the room with what Sigyn could only assume was magic. Frigga saw Sigyn's surprised look and smiled.

"Did you think Loki taught himself magic?" She asked in a teasing manner.

Sigyn just smiled. She had never really considered where Loki had learned magic; she just simply knew he could use it. Frigga headed over to a wardrobe and pulled the doors open.

"Now speaking of Loki… surely he has something in here that we can rig up to fit you…" she stated.

Sigyn almost fell over at the realization of whose room they were in. She watched silently as Frigga went through her youngest son's clothes. Eventually she gave an 'aha' of triumph and pulled out a pair of black knit pants and a deep green tunic.

"Why don't you hop into the bathroom and try these on." She instructed.

Sigyn did as she was told, and came out a few moments later her dress in hand and holding up Loki's pants.

Frigga chuckled.

"A bit big, but I think we can fix that."

She began to dig through the wardrobe again and pulled out a belt. She took Sigyn's dress from her before handing her the belt. She began to fold the garment as Sigyn pulled the pants up to where they reached above her bellybutton, and quickly wrapped the belt as tightly as she could on top of the tunic. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it would suffice to get her home. Their task complete, Frigga dimmed the candles and the two women left Loki's room. The Queen showed Sigyn to the doors that would lead her to the stables and smiled.

"I will hold on to your dress for you since it will be difficult to hold while riding. You can come pick it up from me when you come tomorrow to return Loki's clothes." She suggested.

Sigyn thanked the Queen for her kindness and promised to return the next day. After parting ways with Frigga, Sigyn asked the groomers the location of her family's carriage and unhitched one of the horses from it. The stable boy promised to fix the harness now that the carriage only had three horses, and Sigyn thanked him. There was no saddle for her to use, but fortunately she was a skilled rider so she could easily ride bareback. She mounted gracefully and cantered the entire way back to her family's estate. Her sudden arrival startled the sleeping stable boy, but she didn't wait for him to take the horse before heading inside the house. She made her way swiftly to her bedchambers, and didn't even bother pulling off Loki's clothes before grabbing her journal and beginning a new entry. She recorded every last detail of the evening she could recall before pulling out a piece of parchment and writing a simple note to Frida requesting her to come and speak with her once she got back. She took the note to her sister's room and slid it under the door. Sigyn's relationship with Frida had been a bit strained since the accident, but Sigyn knew Frida wouldn't let her down when it really mattered. Sigyn could trust her with the knowledge of what she had done to Loki, and hopefully Frida would be able to help her think of a way to avoid too much backlash for her rash actions.

Sigyn returned to her room and sat on her bed hoping her family would return soon. The house was eerily silent so every creak or noise from outside caused Sigyn to jump. Her heart raced at the thought that at any moment royal guards might come crashing through the door to drag her to the dungeons where she would await her trial and possibly execution. Sigyn took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Surely she was overreacting. Why would they waste prison space on such a harmless creature such as herself.

"Well you aren't _that_ harmless, you did slap him." She reminded herself out loud.

Loki must have been jesting when he said insulting a Prince was punishable by a trip to the dungeons, but the look in his eyes had been so serious…

"He is known for his tricks though…" She observed.

Loki was supposedly a good liar, so it was very likely that he had been lying to her so he could more easily manipulate her. Sigyn began to inwardly curse herself for her stupidity. Of course he had been playing with her, the entire evening had been one large game for him. She had been well aware of that fact early on, but too much wine had clouded her judgment. Loki was probably having a merry time telling Thor and all of his friends what a fool he had made of her. Sigyn's blood began to boil at the thought of his smug grin, and she suddenly had the urge to ride straight back to the palace and slap him again. The whole thing had been a game, but she was comforted by the fact that she had gotten the better of him at least once. He had not expected her to slap him. The shock shone clearly in his deep green eyes, and Sigyn congratulated herself for at least having the sense to do that. So what if he was a Prince, he could have been the AllFather himself, and Sigyn still would have slapped him. How dare he think that just because he is royalty he can kiss her without her permission! She had slapped him once, and given the opportunity to go back she would have done so again.

Seconds, minutes, and hours trickled by, and before Sigyn knew it she had drifted off to sleep. Persistent knocking on her door finally awoke her with a start, and Sigyn remembered that Frida was supposed to be coming to see her.

"Come on in!" Sigyn beckoned, and Frida slipped in through the door.

Sigyn must have looked pretty disheveled because Frida gave her a disapproving look.

"What in Odin's name are you wearing?" She asked while coming to sit on Sigyn's bed.

"A set of Prince Loki's clothes." Sigyn replied.

Frida look as if she might fall off the bed in surprise.

"Whose clothes!?"

"Prince Loki's…"

Frida shook her head. "Do I even want to know why?" She asked.

Sigyn smiled. "It is an innocent enough explanation." She assured.

"Start from the beginning…" Frida sighed.

"From the beginning of why I am wearing Prince Loki's garments or the beginning of why I asked you to come see me?"

"Whichever came first I suppose." Frida responded.

Sigyn nodded and began her tale. Frida was an attentive listener, and allowed Sigyn to get through the story uninterrupted despite the apparent urge she had to comment at several points during the story. Once Sigyn was finished with her narrative Frida burst out into laughter.

"You actually slapped him? That is wonderful Sigyn!"

"It is hardly wonderful Frida, I could be in serious trouble."

"You won't be in any trouble. Do you seriously believe that Prince Loki will tell anyone that he was slapped by the girl he was trying to woo? He would be the laughing-stock of the court!"

Sigyn's heart ached a little at that assessment though she wasn't sure why.

"Don't say that Frida… that is a cruel sentiment."

"A cruel sentiment? More like honest, and don't look at me like that… I am not the one who slapped him."

Sigyn brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "So you don't think I will be in trouble?"

Frida rolled her eyes, but responded kindly. "No one is going to throw you in the dungeon Sigyn. Prince Thor and Prince Loki have no real power in the court aside from their status. Even if Loki did want you dead, which I highly doubt he does, it is not as if he could call for your execution. What he can do is try to make your life miserable by playing tricks on you constantly, but even that will cease eventually."

Sigyn smiled at Frida's words. She knew she had overreacted, but it was nice to hear confirmation from Frida.

"Thank you Frida."

Frida took Sigyn's hand and squeezed it. "You're welcome… so are you really going back to the palace tomorrow?"

"I gave the Queen my word, so yes, I will be going back."

Frida left the bed and went to the door, but before she left she gave Sigyn one parting piece of advice.

"Just try to avoid Prince Loki for a little while, and everything will blow over as if it had never happened."

"I'll try." Sigyn promised, but as she curled up on her bed and drifted to sleep she couldn't help but think that it would never truly blow over.


	4. From bad to worse

Author's Note: Hi there everyone, and a very special "welcome" to the latest followers of this story! I hope everyone is enjoying it so far. If there is anything specific you want to see or think needs to happen let me know. This is a pretty free-flowing story right now so I would love to incorporate any of your ideas. I own nothing except Sigyn and her family. Read, review, etc., but most of all enjoy.

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Loki slunk tiredly into his room and plopped down on his bed. Instead of returning to the banquet after Sigyn slapped him, he had gone to the library. He needed a place he could be alone to think about what went wrong in his pursuit of Sigyn, and to hide the blossoming hand print on his cheek. Loki placed his hand over said spot and laughed. It was odd, but the fact that Sigyn had slapped him was really starting to amuse him, he could almost say that in some twisted way he had enjoyed it. After laughing quietly for a bit he replayed the entire evening over in his mind searching for something he could have done differently to win her over, but no obvious answer presented itself. She had mentioned that she would have preferred to talk about some sort of intellectual topic instead of having him flirt with her, but as he combed over their conversations he couldn't pinpoint what had been considered flirting in her mind. Sigyn had also mentioned overhearing Thor, and Loki cursed silently. The bloody oaf was the one who had ruined it for him. If Thor had kept his mouth shut Sigyn wouldn't have had knowledge of Loki's intended plans, and she probably wouldn't have been able to detect his subtle flirting. Loki tossed his boots off and snuggled under the sheets of his bed. It was too late to worry about what went wrong now, and Loki could consider how to proceed after he had gotten some sleep.

The sun was rather high in the sky when Loki opened his eyes again. He had slept fairly soundly considering the drama of the evening before. Loki rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom connected to his sleeping chambers. He stripped down, bathed, and dried off leisurely before heading back to his room while running his hands through his short hair to slick it back. He stood in front of his wardrobe and began to look through his clothing for his favorite green tunic. He was unable to find it on his first look through so he pulled out a pair of random undergarments and pants and put them on first. Once he was partly dressed he checked the drawers of his dresser and the wardrobe once again. Seeing that the tunic was not in either of those places, Loki began to search around his room. He knew the tunic was clean, he had just seen it the day before hanging in its usual spot. Not able to find the tunic anywhere, Loki left his room shirtless and headed straight for his mother's. No one stared as he marched half-naked down the hall. The palace servants and guards were already well accustomed to seeing him and Thor, though mainly Thor, walking around in various states of undress. Frigga hated it, but Odin just shrugged it off saying, "Boys will be boys."

Loki reached his mother's sitting room and knocked on the door. She called for him to enter, and Loki promptly pushed the door open.

"Mother what have you done with my…"

Loki's voice trailed off at the sight of the Queen's companion in the sitting room. Sigyn stood quickly from her seat and curtsied to him.

"Good morning Prince Loki…or I should say good afternoon since it is almost midday." She greeted.

Loki guessed by the look on Sigyn's face when he had entered that she had expected to see him just as much as he had expected to see her, which was to say, not at all. Her current expression was a bit trickier to define. She seemed to be biting her bottom lip in a failed attempt to keep from grinning, and her eyes lingered over his bare chest momentarily. He wasn't sure what to call the look that her blue eyes held, but it certainly wasn't disapproving.

Loki turned to Frigga.

"Mother where is my tunic, the green one?" He quickly inquired.

"Is that any way to behave in front of a Lady, Loki? Sigyn has just greeted you, and you should be kind enough to do the same." She admonished in a motherly tone.

Loki rolled his eyes and quickly grabbed Sigyn's hand and placed a quick kiss on the top of it.

"Good day to you too." He added as an afterthought, and then turned back to Frigga. "Mother my tunic?"

Frigga sighed. "Apparently we will have to work on that…" She muttered, "and you will have to be more specific darling, you have more than one green tunic."

Loki cringed. Did his mother just call him "darling" in front of Sigyn? Great, just one more thing that she could add to her list of "Things I can hang over Prince Loki's head."

"Mother you know which one I am talking about." Loki admonished as the Queen gave him an infuriating smile.

"Is this the tunic you mean?" Sigyn asked curiously.

Loki looked over to where she stood. She was holding out a folded shirt and Loki immediately recognized it as the tunic in question.

He grabbed it as quickly, but politely, as he could and slipped it on over his head. The second the fabric hit his skin he could detect a vaguely familiar scent, and it only took a moment to place it. His tunic smelled like Sigyn's perfume, a startling but not unpleasant surprise.

"These are yours also My Prince." Sigyn added while holding out a pair of folded pants and a belt.

Loki took them as well.

"May I ask how you came by these?" He asked with a hint of annoyance.

"I lent them to her." Frigga interceded. "Sigyn wished to leave the banquet early yesterday, and had intended to ride back to her home on horseback. I am sure you noticed how lovely her gown was last evening, and I couldn't let her risk damaging it during her ride home so I borrowed some clothing from your wardrobe. I hope you don't mind dear."

Loki had no choice but to smile at his mother's explanation.

"Of course not." He lied.

"I knew you wouldn't, now take a seat next to me and talk with us, unless of course you would rather go join Thor in his training…"

Loki sighed inwardly in defeat. This was a no win situation. He had no interest in going to train with Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three, but having to hold a conversation with Sigyn after the events of last night wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he woke up this morning. Reluctantly he took a seat next to Frigga, and Sigyn sat down in her chair from earlier.

"Sigyn was just telling me about what a lovely time she had last evening, and… Loki what is wrong with your cheek?" Frigga asked upon seeing the faded pink mark on his cheek.

"A bug bite." Loki lied effortlessly.

Sigyn exhaled a bit loudly through her nose in a mocking manner and Frigga raised an eyebrow at Loki.

"That must have been a rather large and pesky bug." The Queen remarked.

"It was." Loki replied while throwing a meaningful look at Sigyn.

Sigyn looked as if she wanted to stick her tongue out at him, but the presence of Frigga and the fact that she was clearly too old to do something so childish stopped her. Frigga watched the two stare each other down, and smiled. They obviously needed a moment alone.

"Oh Sigyn I should fetch that book I was telling you about when Loki interrupted us before it slips my mind. Loki do you think you could keep her company while I go fetch it?"

Loki nodded grudgingly and Frigga swept out of the room. Neither Loki nor Sigyn spoke at first for fear that Frigga might still be within hearing distance.

"I see you managed to evade capture." Loki stated.

Sigyn rolled her eyes. "Please Loki, don't flatter yourself with some sense of power that you don't actually posses."

"You seemed to believe I possessed it last night." Loki pointed out.

"I had also drunk four glasses of wine last night as well." Sigyn retorted.

Silence fell between the two of them again, and Loki caught a glimpse of Sigyn brushing out a crease in her dress.

"I am sorry I slapped you." She finally apologized.

"You're forgiven." He responded while twiddling his fingers.

Sigyn stared at him expectantly, but Loki had no idea what she could be waiting for.

"What?" He finally asked.

"Aren't you going to apologize?"

"For what?"

"Oh I am not sure, perhaps for trying to take advantage of me?" She replied in an agitated voice.

"I see no reason why I should. I'm a Prince I can do what I want." Loki retorted in a condescending tone.

Sigyn outright scoffed at that comment. "I see, and I suppose being a Prince gives you the right to do _who_ you want as well."

Loki smirked. "I don't see why not."

Sigyn stood from her seat in indignation. "Well I do. Just because you were born a Prince does not give you the right to act so superior to those around you."

"Actually, it gives me an inherent right Lady Sigyn." Loki retorted, enjoying the cute indignant face Sigyn was making.

Loki watched as Sigyn struggled to keep her tongue in check. From the look in her eyes he figured she had at least half-a-dozen acerbic retorts that she would have loved to use, but her self-control won out. Instead, she chose to sit back down and cast her gaze out a window.

"Yes of course, how silly of me. The entire purpose of the royal family is to look down upon their subjects as pawns that can be used and discarded as necessary. Their attitude should always be haughty and prideful because they were born into power and have done nothing to earn or keep it."

Sigyn went completely silent at that point, and refused to even look in his direction. Loki began to shift uncomfortably. He was seriously starting to wish that Sigyn had gone the argumentative route instead of this silent brooding one when Frigga entered the room.

"I see you managed not to kill each other in my absence." She noted.

Neither Loki nor Sigyn responded so Frigga walked over towards Sigyn and held out a rather large tome to her.

"I think you will really enjoy this work." She said and Sigyn took the book gently from her. "I would love for you to come back to the palace to discuss it with me once you have finished. It is so rare that I get to have such invigorating discussions with a young Lady."

Sigyn stood and curtsied to the Queen. "Thank you My Queen, I would be honored. I believe that it is time for me to return home now though, my mother will be needing me."

The Queen nodded in understanding, and Sigyn walked towards the door. Loki was fairly certain that she wasn't going to acknowledge him, but just before she exited she stopped.

"Good day My Prince, thank you for allowing me the use of your clothing, and I hope that your cheek heals soon."

She didn't wait for any type of response before leaving the room. The moment Sigyn left Loki could feel the sudden mood shift of the room. Frigga didn't have to look at Loki for him to know that she was unhappy. Part of him wanted to slink off to some dark corner of the palace to hide, but he thought it best to take his scolding like a man.

"Loki Odinson I am extremely disappointed in you." She began while turning to look at him. "Have I not taught you any better than to treat a young Lady like she is a doll for your own personal amusement? Did I not instill any respect for others in you? Have I truly failed you so miserably in your upbringing?"

Apparently the guilt tactic still worked on teenagers because Loki could feel the heat of embarrassment flush his facial features.

"You heard what we said?" He asked knowingly.

"Most of it." Frigga replied. "You owe Sigyn quite the apology. If your father had ever said something like that to me I probably would have slapped him too. You are lucky that Sigyn has more self-control than I did at her age."

"So you knew she slapped me?" Loki asked.

"Please darling, did you really believe I would buy the bug story? What bug causes a faint pink hand print when it bites? I noticed you leave with her last night, and when she came back flustered I knew something not so pleasant must have occurred between you two."

Loki tried to swallow, but his mouth was suddenly very dry.

Frigga sat down on a chair and sighed. "Loki the way you acted towards Sigyn was not _you_. Why did you all of a sudden feel the need to act like Thor might have in the same situation? I have never known you to try and throw your title around like that before."

Loki thought about that for a moment, and realized he didn't have an answer. His mother was right, resting on the laurels of being a Prince had never been something he had done before so why had he felt the sudden need to do so with Sigyn. Frigga must have noticed Loki's thoughts swirling because she let out a soft chuckle, and a gentle smile graced her lips.

"Next time you want to impress her perhaps you should try a different tactic. The "overconfident cocky Prince" approach is not working."

Loki rolled his eyes. "I am not trying to impress anyone."

"Of course you are not." Frigga replied in a disbelieving tone. "Now I suggest you go think up a way to apologize to Sigyn, and please take her dress back to her when you finally work up the nerve to face her." She added while holding Sigyn's gown from the evening before out to him.

Loki stood from his chair, grabbed the dress, and headed to the door, but paused a moment before leaving.

"You knew I would come didn't you? That's why you chose to lend her this tunic."

"I suspected you might, though I had thought you would have had the sense to put another shirt on before coming." Frigga replied.

Loki smirked. "She didn't seem to mind the view." He replied before walking out of his mother's sitting room.


	5. Falling hard

Author's Note: Hello again everyone, and another warm welcome to all the new followers. So glad you have decided to join us! Briony Tallis your review made my night! I was as giddy as a school girl when I read it. Thank you so much for your kind words of affirmation, you have no idea how blessed that made me feel! Anyway, This chapter is a bit shorter (sorry!). I own nothing save Sigyn, her family, and Roan. Read, review (or don't, whatever floats your boat), etc. As always suggestions and/or requests are welcome. Enjoy!

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Sigyn had made the walk back home in record time. Prince Loki certainly seemed to bring out the worst in her, and she needed to release some pent-up frustration. She wasted no time in reaching her room to change into pants, a form-fitting shirt, and her riding boots. She placed the book Frigga had lent her on her bed with the intention to read it later that night. When she arrived at the stables she was a little surprised to see her mother there. Ever since Iounn's accident her mother had been distant. It had upset Sigyn at first, but now she realized that sometimes the only way to deal with the pain was to struggle with it on your own so that you didn't expose others to it as well.

"Good afternoon mother." Sigyn greeted so as not to startle her mother with her arrival. 

Signy continued petting her horse but turned her head to look at her youngest.

"Good afternoon Sigyn. Frida told me that you had gone to the palace this morning to speak with the Queen, I hope you weren't in trouble."

Sigyn shook her head 'no.'

"I was not, the Queen only wished to lend me a book." Sigyn partially lied.

Signy gave Sigyn a soulless smile.

"That was very kind of Her Majesty." She noted.

Sigyn nodded in agreement.

"I had hoped to go riding, if you do not need me here." She mentioned.

"Go ahead darling." Signy replied.

Sigyn went to go saddle her horse, but paused a moment.

"You could come with me, I would appreciate the company…" she offered.

Signy smiled but shook her head. "Maybe another time sweetheart."

Sigyn nodded her head and went to saddle her horse. Her mother hardly ever rode anymore, which was depressing to Sigyn since she had been the one to teach her to ride. Signy was quite famous among the nobles of Asgard for being the finest horsewoman in the Realm, and she put the men to shame as well. Sigyn used to watch her mother, before she was old enough to ride, in awe. She seemed so graceful upon a steed, and Sigyn had begged her endlessly to teach her as well. As a result, Sigyn was quickly following her mother's footsteps.

Sigyn led Roan out of the paddock and into the field. Frida had given Sigyn lots of grief when she had named her stallion after the color of its mane, but Sigyn had ignored her big sister's teasing. She liked the name Roan so that was the name she chose regardless of its redundancy. Sigyn mounted the stallion, and slowly headed out into the open field. Once she felt Roan was sufficiently warmed up, she began to gallop then canter freely across the open space. The wind whipped her hair about wildly, and Sigyn loved it. She felt free and lighthearted, and not once did Loki cross her mind. She finally stopped by an outcropping of trees and dismounted. After tying the reigns to a low hanging branch, she climbed up into the tree and sat contentedly for a while. With nothing and no one to bother her, Sigyn let her mind wander. Unfortunately it wandered to Prince Loki.

Sigyn couldn't get over his infuriating behavior. It was hard to believe that the Queen, who was so nice and mannerly, could be the mother of that spoiled and vain excuse of a young man. If anything, he settled the nature versus nurture debate. With a mother like that there was certainly no nurture lacking, so nature was the clear victor. The breeze rustled the branches and caused Sigyn to sigh. Prince Loki was no longer any real concern of hers. The next banquet she attended would find her sitting far away from the Prince, and she would dance every dance with random boys to ensure that there could be no time for conversation with him if she had to.

Her mind contented on the matter, Sigyn closed her eyes and let the fading afternoon sun kiss her skin. Aside from the occasional whiney from Roan and the rustle of the leaves there was little noise to bother Sigyn's calm state, so that is why her eyes shot open at the sound of an approaching rider. Before Sigyn could turn her head in the direction of the newcomer, she spotted a strange figure in the cover of the trees. She thought it was a woman, but whoever it was was wearing a cloak with their hood pulled low over their facial features.

_"How long have they been watching me?"_ Sigyn wondered a bit uneasily.

She leaned forward a bit to see if she could get a better view, but an unexpected whiney from Roan startled Sigyn and she closed her eyes tightly as she found herself crashing to the ground. Instead of colliding with the hard ground beneath her however, Sigyn found herself falling onto a somewhat softer being. She opened her eyes and inwardly groaned when she discovered that her softer landing-place was non-other than the younger Prince of Asgard himself.

"I thought Princes were supposed to catch Ladies falling from trees, not be crushed by them." She remarked while getting off of him.

"You're welcome," He replied in annoyance, "and to answer your remark, we generally do catch them. Next time I will just have to rescue a more graceful damsel." He finished while getting to his feet and brushing his clothing off.

"I am not a damsel." Sigyn replied while plucking a leaf out of her hair.

"You could have fooled me…what were you looking at so intently anyways?" Loki asked.

Sigyn suddenly remembered the figure, and looked over to see if it was still staring at her. To her surprise however, it was gone. She must have looked bewildered because Loki came to stand next to her and stared into the trees also.

"Ah yes, trees. Such a rarity that they should be closely observed whenever a sighting of them occurs." He stated in an overly sarcastic tone.

Sigyn slapped him on the arm and Loki looked over at her with one of his eyebrows raised.

"Are you trying to set some sort of record?" He asked teasingly. "We have known each other for less than twenty-four hours and you have already managed to slap me twice."

Sigyn smiled in spite of herself. She was still extremely angry with Loki, but she had to admit that his dry humor was amusing.

"In my defense, both were well deserved." Sigyn argued.

"Perhaps…" Loki replied before walking over to his horse.

Sigyn snuck a glance back at the trees where the figure had been, but they were most assuredly gone. She turned back to face the Prince as he pulled something out of his saddlebag.

"I came to bring you this." He stated while turning to hand her the gown she had worn to the banquet. "You left so abruptly that my mother didn't have the opportunity to return it to you."

Sigyn took the gown and went to place it in her own saddlebag.

"Did she make you come bearing an apology also?" Sigyn asked knowingly.

Loki didn't reply and Sigyn turned around to face him once more.

"Why so silent? I know you didn't come here simply to return my gown; a palace servant could have done that. That leaves only one reason for your being here, the Queen has forced you to come and apologize."

Loki just crossed his arms, and Sigyn knew she was spot on.

"Well don't bother. If your mother is forcing you to do it then you are not really sorry, and if you are not really sorry but you say you are then you are merely lying. I have no intention of accepting a lie from you My Prince, but if you wish to ride home and tell your mother that you have apologized that is your own personal business and I shall not contradict you."

"Why do you insist on calling me 'My Prince'?" Loki asked.

"Is that not what you are?" Sigyn replied while mounting Roan.

"Yes, but you don't have to remind me of it every time you speak." He responded while mounting his own horse.

"Why not? From your behavior this morning I would have assumed that you enjoyed my deference to your royalty."

"And from your behavior last night I would never have assumed that you were so desperate to get into _my_ pants." Loki retorted.

Sigyn couldn't keep up an angry façade at that clever retort, and a half-smile found its way onto her face.

"I must know though, did you enjoy the view this morning?" He questioned with a smile.

Sigyn shrugged her shoulders. "Beat me to my house, and you might find out." She challenged before giving Roan a sharp kick with her heels.

Roan responded immediately by shooting off into a gallop, which Sigyn quickly brought up to a canter. She began to laugh at the thought of Loki actually being able to compete with her on horseback, but her laughter quickly died when she glanced back and realized how close he actually was to her. She hadn't expected him to be such a quick rider. She still had enough of an edge on the Prince to ensure her victory, but she decided that she wanted to leave no question as to who was the better between the two of them. When the stable finally came into view on the horizon she urged Roan to his quickest pace, and jumped the fence into the paddock for good measure. She turned Roan so that she could see Loki approaching, and she sat with a victorious smile as he pulled up close behind her.

"Impressive." Loki conceded good-naturedly. "Fortunately I didn't need to win to know the answer to my question."

"And why is that?" Sigyn inquired.

"Because if you hadn't liked what you saw you would have told me so with pride." He remarked nonchalantly while turning his horse and beginning to trot towards the main road.

"I'm still angry at you!" Sigyn shot back at him.

Loki turned his head to look at her one last time and smiled. "Keep telling yourself that darling, but we both know you are starting to like me."

With that, the dark-haired Prince galloped off towards the palace and Sigyn dismounted. She fed, watered, and brushed Roan before returning him to his stall, and as she walked into the house to prepare for dinner she couldn't help but shake her head in frustration. He was right; she was starting to like him.


	6. Twisting the truth

Author's Note: I am so soooo sorry it has taken me so long to update! Thanksgiving hit and my family was in town so time was scarce! To make up for my absence this chapter is a little longer than the others…I think. Anyway, there are sexual innuendos in this chapter but beyond that there is nothing too shocking I hope. A big 'Thank you!' to zzSnowWhiteQueenzz for the amazingly thoughtful review! I completely understand your struggle, it is hard to write when you don't have feedback from your audience. I always make it a point to respond to any reviews because people have taken time out of their busy day to voice their opinions, and I want them to know how much I appreciate that! I am glad that you are enjoying the development of Loki and Sigyn so far, and I tend to think that Sigyn's romantic relationship with Loki will develop more from friendship and curiosity than a conflicting attraction. I suppose we will just have to see how they develop naturally as I continue writing though. Thank you again for your amazing review, it definitely forced me to think a bit more into the future of how I want to craft this story! I own nothing save Sigyn and her family.

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Loki sat through dinner not really paying attention to the conversation that was taking place between Thor and his parents. He couldn't get Sigyn out of his mind. He hadn't planned any special apology when he went to see her this afternoon since his mother was making him do it, but Sigyn had seen straight through his intentions. Her argument, though valid, had stung Loki a little. Sigyn didn't seem to think he was capable of remorse, which wasn't true. He wasn't sorry he had tried to kiss her, but he did feel a slight twinge of guilt for the lack of respect he had shown her in his mother's sitting room. Loki picked at the food on his plate as he thought about their curious little exchange. The banter had seemed surprisingly un-spiteful considering their rocky first interactions. She had gotten a few good verbal jabs in, but Loki knew he had won the day with his remark about Sigyn wanting to be in his pants. Speaking of clothing, Loki brought his hand up to support his chin so that he could better smell Sigyn's perfume. The scent was strongest near his wrist, which made sense considering that was probably where Sigyn applied it the most.

"What do you think Loki?" Frigga asked, pulling Loki out of his thoughts.

"hmmm about what?" Loki asked.

Odin sent a questioning look to Frigga, Frigga sent Loki a perceptive look, and Thor just stared at Loki in disbelief.

"Have you not been paying attention Loki?" Thor asked.

"I think Loki's mind has been contemplating a more pleasant topic then sitting in on the next war council." Frigga remarked when Loki didn't respond.

All the eyes of his family were trained intently on him, and Loki began to feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Do these thoughts include a certain Lady who was sitting across from you last night?" Thor prodded.

Loki didn't grace Thor with an answer. Instead he pushed his plate away from him and stood from the table.

"It would probably be advisable that Thor and I sit in on the war council's meetings from now on since one of us will be leading them eventually." He remarked coolly. "If you will excuse me, I think I will retire now."

Odin nodded his head to signal to Loki that he had permission to leave, and Loki swiftly walked out of the dining hall. He conjured a random book and went to sit in a windowsill that looked out over the city. He read in peace till Thor finally found him.

"I believe you have a story to tell." Thor stated jovially.

Loki sighed and closed his book.

"Not really." He replied.

Thor clasped Loki around the shoulder and pulled him to his feet. Loki smiled at his brother's enthusiasm and began to walk with him down the corridor.

"Of course you do. It is not like you to enter into such a haze when there is conversation to be had." Thor noted. "Something was on your mind, and I trust mother's intuition that the diversion was a pleasant one. Did you and the Lady…" Thor stopped as he tried to remember Sigyn's name.

"Sigyn…" Loki finally supplied.

"Yes, did you and the Lady Sigyn enjoy your evening together?" Thor asked with a devious smile.

"It was interesting." Loki conceded.

"So she was not too timid for you?" The blonde prodded.

Loki chuckled. "No, not too timid."

Thor nodded in approval. "Good."

Loki smiled inwardly. Thor had no idea that Loki hadn't slept with her, so he thought he would play a little game. It was time to see what truths about his innocent interactions with Sigyn he could twist into something suggestive.

_"Where to start?" _He asked himself internally.

What was the first thing they had done? Danced. They had danced together, and Sigyn spent most of the time fighting him for the ability to lead.

"Surprisingly, she likes to try and lead." Loki remarked casually.

Thor looked at him with a surprised expression.

"Really? She did not strike me as the dominant type…" He remarked.

"Me neither," Loki agreed, "but she is actually rather aggressive." He replied while recalling her smarting slap.

Thor laughed. "A young Lady full of surprises, perhaps I should pursue her and see how accurate your assessment of her is."

A stab of jealousy hit Loki, but he smiled in spite of it. "I thought you preferred to be the one in charge." Loki pointed out.

Thor shrugged. "I do, and I am certain that in the end I still would be, but a little competition in the bedroom is not necessarily a bad thing." He reasoned.

"Well she is more than a little competitive." Loki warned.

"Did she victor over you?" Thor inquired with a suggestive grin.

Loki looked over at Thor and debated how to proceed. He had the perfect retort in mind, but it would force him to admit that Sigyn had beaten him at something. Admitting defeat was not really in Loki's nature, but admitting Sigyn's victory would ultimately give him victory over Thor in this little game. In the end beating Thor was more important than keeping Sigyn's triumph hidden, so Loki put on his most serious face and delivered the final blow.

"She did…"

oooh that stung…

"but in my defense Sigyn is an extremely good rider."

Loki continued walking down the hallway, but Thor seemed to be stuck in one spot. Loki didn't even have to look back to know that he had just stunned his older brother into speechlessness.

"Goodnight brother." Loki added while turning the corner to the hallway that led to his bedroom.

He didn't even try to smother his smirk as he continued walking. It was difficult to shock Thor with anything involving intercourse of a physical nature, so Loki was rather impressed with himself. Not only had he done it, but he had done it without even having _done_ it. A few descriptions of he and Sigyn's interactions taken out of context, and he had been able to convince Thor that not only had he bedded her, but that their coupling had been a rather unconventional one.

Once inside the safety of his room, Loki sat down at his desk and began to work on that replication spell. As he studied he couldn't help but think of all the fun this particular spell was going to give him. Sending copies of himself around would open up many new and exciting opportunities to cause a little trouble. He would test it out on Thor first, and work his way from there. The hardest person to fool would be his mother, but if he could manage that he would consider the spell perfected. Loki studied the runes of the spell well into the night, and by the time dawn was breaking Loki had managed to create one copy of himself. It was far from perfect, and wouldn't be able to fool Thor, let alone his mother, but it was a start. With some practice he would be able to better the copy, and possibly learn to create more than one. The strain on his magic had exhausted him, but he managed to undress before slipping into bed and a deep dreamless sleep.

Pounding on his door the next morning woke Loki with a start.

"Brother you escaped training with us yesterday, but I will not let you skip again!" Thor yelled through the door.

Loki grabbed his head as the reverberations began to give him a headache.

"All right! All right! Would you desist pounding on my door!?" Loki yelled back.

"I will desist my pounding when you open it." Thor informed, and Loki literally rolled out of his bed while holding a pillow over his ears.

He stumbled to his closet and pulled out the first thing he thought he could train in. After slipping the outfit on he marched over to the door that Thor was still pounding on and slung it open.

"Was that really necessary?" He asked in frustration.

"You know it was. You merely would have gone back to sleep if I hadn't stayed and annoyed you." Thor pointed out as the two of them walked brusquely down the corridors to the training area.

Loki didn't reply since Thor was right, he would have gone right back to sleep.

"Did you get your beauty sleep?" Fandral teased as Thor and Loki approached.

Loki rolled his eyes good-humoredly as he replied. "Yes, thank you."

Sif looked up from stretching with a dramatic flip of her golden hair.

"Well it certainly doesn't appear to be working." She noted upon taking in Loki's pale complexion and tousled hair.

"Well warriors are not historically known for their perception of beauty." Loki countered.

It was a backhanded compliment of sorts, and Sif was well aware of it. She sent Loki an un-amused smile while Thor laughed and Fandral and Volstagg chuckled. The group soon found themselves under the instruction of the weapons master, but Loki couldn't help but look over at Sif every once in a while in annoyance. He wasn't sure what he had done to earn Lady Sif's scorn. He had never once spoken down to her or treated her with any less respect because she was a female warrior. In fact, there had been a time when Loki had been quite attracted to the older blonde girl. Naturally she had been attracted to Thor, but Thor had never had any real romantic interest in her other than as another girl who could warm his bed. Maybe Sif's dislike of him stemmed from the fact that Thor paid more attention to him than her, but Loki hardly felt that was fair. He couldn't help it that he was Thor's brother, so there was no need to take her frustration out on him.

Loki threw a dagger to take out his growing frustration, and watched as it landed in the middle of the mark. Knife throwing was the one art of combat that he was better than Thor at, not that it mattered. Loki knew that Thor didn't mean any harm when he laughed off his skills with a dagger or his magical inclinations, but deep down it hurt. Couldn't Thor give him even a slight sign of approval? Loki reclaimed his daggers and began his target practice once more. He caught Sif flipping her hair about again and huffed. For a girl who wanted to be taken as a serious warrior, she seemed to be awfully proud of her long blonde hair. Loki threw another dagger and smiled. Maybe it was time for a little prank…


	7. A mark of true character

Author's Note: Hi there! Just a warning, the next few chapters will be fairly short, but I will be posting them rather quickly so perhaps that will make up for the length. Reteka Hyuuga- Yep, all is prepared for Loki to get into trouble, well almost everything... :) I am glad you enjoyed the verbal competition (granted only Loki _knew_ it was a competition), it was certainly a lot of fun to write! I own nothing except for Sigyn and her family. Enjoy!

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Sigyn spent weeks pouring over the large tome the Queen had lent to her. It was full of fascinating tales that had been passed down for thousands of years, and she could hardly put it down. Sigyn recognized some of the stories from her childhood, but most of them were new to her.

"At the rate you are reading that book, you will be finished before the next big celebration." Frida commented one afternoon.

Sigyn had taken to sitting in with Frida as she weaved. She simply read while Frida worked, but Frida had admitted to liking the company.

"And when exactly is that?" Sigyn asked without looking up from her page.

"Sometime next week I believe." Frida replied.

"And what is the occasion?" Sigyn pried.

"Does there really need to be an occasion for a celebration in Asgard?" Frida answered with a hint of a smile.

"I would think so, but that is perhaps the problem. I _think_."

"No one would fault you for thinking Sigyn. If they faulted you for anything, it would be for not being more verbal about those thoughts." Frida remarked.

"I see no reason to share every thought and idea I have with the entire Realm Frida. Being selective in the opinions that I voice will ensure that others pay more attention when I do share them."

"And why is that?"

"Because they will know that when I speak it is not merely because I enjoy the sound of my own voice. The decision to express my views is not taken lightly, therefore others will not take those views lightly."

The sisters fell back into their tasks, and for a time the only sounds that could be heard were the turning of pages and the swoosh of the loom.

"Do you plan on slapping anymore Princes at the next banquet?" Frida teased after a long period of silence.

Sigyn closed her book and smiled.

"I have no intention to, but if the opportunity were to present itself I doubt I would be able to resist the temptation."

Frida laughed. "I still can't believe you struck him again…"

"It was hardly a violent strike!" Sigyn interjected in her own defense.

"Still, you did strike him. You would be the envy of half of the court if they knew."

"Is Prince Loki really all that disliked?" Sigyn queried.

Frida looked away from her weaving for the first time. "I wouldn't call it dislike, it is more frustration than anything. Loki's pranks have embarrassed a fair number of people, and courtiers tend to hold grudges."

"If I were them I would simply laugh along." Sigyn noted. "If Loki's goal was to rile them up then they are allowing him to succeed, and if they continue allowing him to succeed then he will continue to prank them."

"That is true, but few people think that clearly when they are upset."

"And why should they be so upset? From the stories you have told me his pranks seem rather harmless."

"They are but, as I pointed out before, people have been embarrassed by them. I know few people in the court that would be willing to laugh at their own expense."

"Then there lies the true problem. The Prince's unwitting victims are too fond of themselves."

"Sigyn! It is unwise to speak so of the nobility!" Frida admonished.

Sigyn waved her hand dismissively. "A nobility we are a part of." She reminded Frida.

"Yes, but if you wish to not be alienated by them you best not speak like this in their presence." Frida warned.

"If I am to be alienated for speaking the truth, then let me be alienated. It is not my fault if others are so self-important that they have lost the ability to laugh at themselves. I respect those that value honesty, and those that are willing to laugh at themselves. In fact, I would go as far to say that those who are able to laugh at their own expense are those who are the most self-assured."

"You seem to have put a fair amount of previous thought into this." Frida pointed out.

"Everyone will be made a fool at some point in their lives, and how a person reacts to that inevitable experience will say a lot about their true character. It is by a person's true character that I wish to choose my association with them so yes, I have given this topic a fair amount of thought." Sigyn replied.

Frida turned back to her loom as she laughed. "Perhaps you do think too much."

Sigyn reopened her book contentedly. She hadn't really thought about Prince Loki since their last encounter, but the thought of what their next tête-à-tête could hold brought a small smile to her lips.


	8. One word, two interpretations

Sigyn eyed her goblet of wine wearily. After her last drinking experience she had decided to drink this one very slowly. Currently Frida and Sigyn were conversing with a few girls that Frida knew, and as the feast wore on a few young boys that were sitting nearby joined the conversation as well. The talk was light-hearted, and Sigyn appreciated the diversion since it kept her from sneaking glances towards Prince Loki who was sitting at the head of the table with his family.

Music finally began to fill the hall, signaling couples onto the dance floor. Sigyn secretly hoped that Loki would ask her to dance so that their banter could begin again. She danced several dances with some of the young men she had been conversing with before feeling a tap on her shoulder. She turned excitedly hoping to see Loki, but to her surprise it was not the younger Prince who had approached her.

"Prince Thor…?" She asked as much as greeted.

"Lady Sigyn, I was hoping that you might join me on the dance floor." He requested while holding out his hand.

Sigyn smiled to hide the wary feeling that was nagging at her mind.

"Of course My Prince." She replied as she dipped her head in respect.

Sigyn could feel the jealous glances of the girls around her as she placed her hand in Thor's, and he led her onto the floor. Thor chatted on as they danced to and fro. He was not a bad dancer considering he was obviously the stereotypical warrior type, and Sigyn had to admit that he had the most piercing blue eyes she had ever seen. As enchanting as Prince Thor was, it was not his gaze that sent tingles up her spine. Every so often Sigyn would catch Loki watching them intently. He seemed amused, almost as if he was witnessing some inside joke that only he knew. Sigyn shook the feeling off and returned her attention to Thor.

"I have been informed that you like to lead, and from your dancing I am beginning to think the rumor is true." Thor commented.

"I hope you don't take any offense by it, My Prince. It is my mind's natural instinct since I do not know you particularly well." Sigyn excused. "I presume Loki is your informant." She added with a smile.

Thor smiled in return. "No offense has been taken, My Lady. It is wise for a young woman, such as you, to be cautious around older men. It would be all too tempting for them to try and take advantage of you, and yes, Loki is my informant."

Thor spun Sigyn, and when he pulled her back in she felt that her body was much closer to the Prince's than it had been before.

"He has also let slip that you are rather competitive." Thor noted, dropping his voice a little.

"I suppose that is a fair consideration." She replied.

"I see, and are you as skilled a rider as he says?" He asked with a small smile.

Sigyn was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with her close proximity to Prince Thor, and she was beginning to wonder if this song was going to end any time soon.

"I suppose that would depend on how skillful he has portrayed me." Sigyn reasoned.

The hand that Thor had on her waist gently pulled her hips closer to his, and Sigyn began to consciously try and put some space between them again.

"He seemed to think that you were very skillful." Thor specified.

"I have had lots of practice." Sigyn replied, a tad confused.

Thor raised an eyebrow and gave her an impressed look. Why Sigyn's skills on horseback fascinated Prince Thor was a mystery to her, but why Loki had bothered to tell him was an even greater puzzle.

"Perhaps you would not mind showing me your skills later on?"

"Do you really think that is an appropriate thing to do at a banquet?" Sigyn asked rather surprised.

"Possibly not, but that didn't seem to hinder you at the last celebration." Thor pointed out.

Who told him that she had ridden home on horseback? Loki? She _had_ borrowed Loki's clothes so maybe he had mentioned it to his older brother?

"If you are truly that interested I suppose it could do no harm to show you later this evening…"

"Why wait till later? It grows late already, and we would hardly be missed." Thor interjected.

"I think it would be best if there were fewer people around the stables." Sigyn reasoned.

"Why must we go to the stables? You could just as easily ride me in my chambers." Thor pointed out.

Sigyn's face flushed in embarrassment. The mystery behind Thor's interest in her "riding" abilities had been solved. He was suggesting a completely different type of "riding," and Sigyn suddenly felt very disgusted. She forcefully pulled away from the Prince, and in front of all the guests still in attendance she slapped him with all her might.

"I will not stand being propositioned as though I am some specimen that you can study for your own personal amusement!" She fumed.

Those sober enough to understand what was going on looked on in shock as the AllFather, Frigga, Halldor, and Signy rushed to the scene. Prince Thor didn't look angry with her, simply stunned. Sigyn assumed that it was not often that he was rejected by anyone for anything. She didn't listen as her parents begged the Allfather, Frigga, and Thor's forgiveness for her outburst. She assumed that they were blaming it on the wine, but Sigyn found it to be a silly argument since she was clearly one of the most sober people in attendance. The AllFather assured them that everything was fine, and Frigga seemed to be slightly amused. Despite the murmuring amongst the nobles and the interaction between the Royal couple and her parents, there was only one person whom Sigyn could focus on: Loki. He wasn't laughing outwardly, but Sigyn could see the sheer delight of what had just occurred in his eyes. Somehow this was his doing, she just knew it, and Sigyn inwardly smiled. A small nod of her head in his direction communicated her acknowledgement of his impressive victory, and warned him of her retribution to come. Loki gave a small nod in return. She could tell from the upward twitching of his thin lips that it was a threat he both feared and looked forward too.


	9. Spending time with the Royal family

Author's Note: Wow guys, that last chapter got a ton of positive feedback! I am glad that you enjoyed it! I had been seriously concerned when I published it, but I guess my fears were unnecessary. Before I get to replying to your reviews I am going to warn all of you that Sigyn does **not** get her revenge in this chapter (or the next one). It is coming though I promise, just be patient. I own nothing except for Sigyn and her family. Read, rate, review, follow, etc. or don't whatever floats your boat (I don't know why I always repeat this, it's not like everyone doesn't already know that stuff…) Anyway, on to responding to the reviews! **Snow White Queen** your reviews are wonderful. I love and appreciate how much thought you put into them! I am really glad that I am not the only one who can see Loki as someone who can not only create a convincing lie, but as someone who can just misrepresent the truth as well (which is sometimes harder than just telling a lie). Sigyn and Frida's relationship will be strained at times (just as any sibling relationship can be), but I like the idea that the two girls have someone who at the end of the day will always be there for them (especially since their mother is so distant). I can definitely see Thor as being a bit of a player in his younger years, but I also think that he is probably still very good-natured and likable despite that fact. Hopefully Sigyn's warning shot will be enough to keep his hands off of her from now on. If not, poor Loki might just show us why green is his color. I am very glad that you are enjoying the story so much, and I hope I can keep you entertained and always guessing! Sorry Sigyn isn't taking her revenge just yet, but never fear she is not going to let Loki off the hook. **A Nice Person **you certainly do live up to your name :) I was all smiles reading your review! I love when I can make people smile, and I am delighted that I was able to make you laugh (though your cat might have been a little less delighted). I do try to update fairly frequently so check back once or twice a week. I hope you continue to enjoy the story! **Reteka Hyuuga **in my opinion you can never enjoy a good slap too much (especially when said slap is deserved)! I love that you are enjoying the story so far, and I hope to continue to amuse you. Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews, they really do help me write!

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"You're in extreme trouble…" blah, blah, blah.

"You are grounded for a century…" etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Sigyn got an earful on the way home, but she merely pretended to pay attention. It was likely that her parent's would not allow her to go to the next few banquets as punishment for slapping Prince Thor in plain sight of everyone, but it was a small price to pay in defense of her honor. Loki had certainly told Thor something of their meetings, but it was obvious that his story, while akin to the truth, had not been the full truth.

The next morning found Sigyn standing outside the Queen's sitting room with her borrowed book in tow. Her parents had relented to letting her return the book and spending time with the Queen despite her "Lack of decorum" since Frigga had personally insisted on it, and she was about to knock on the door when footsteps to her right caught her attention.

"Good morning Prince Loki, it is good to see you have come fully dressed this time." She welcomed.

Loki clasped his hands behind his back and smiled.

"I wanted to spare you the temptation of staring." He retorted.

"Is it safe to assume that you have come here to gloat over your little trick last evening?"

"Not really. While your reaction to Thor's ill thought out advances was more than humorous, I feel compelled to inform you that they were not entirely my doing."

"How can they not be _entirely_ your doing, and why this sudden compulsion to tell the truth? That seems an odd sentiment for the 'god of lies'." Sigyn pried.

"I might have taken a few events out of context while speaking to my brother of them, but I certainly never expected to do anything save shock him. Thor had mentioned trying to woo you himself, but I honestly had no idea that he was serious about it."

Sigyn smiled.

"I thought those innuendos were too clever for your brother… I mean no offense to him of course, but he does not strike me as the kind to dabble in word play."

"A true enough observation. When did you finally accredit his words to me?" Loki questioned.

"When I saw the immense laughter in your eyes. Intentional or not, last night's fiasco was of your doing." Sigyn answered.

"Ahhh I see, well you seem to be taking the entire thing very well. When I witnessed you slapping Thor I half expected you to turn and throttle me next, but instead you seemed rather calm about the whole incident..."

"Which is why you are here." Sigyn interjected.

Loki gave her a puzzled look and Sigyn rolled her eyes.

"I know full well that you are not here because you enjoyed our last chat with your mother. You are here because you wanted to see how I was reacting to the events of last evening. Given such a public display, you probably assumed that I would either be furious with you or off hiding in a corner somewhere out of shame, yet here I stand level headed as ever. What do you make of that My Prince?"

Loki didn't reply, and his face didn't betray what was going on in his mind.

"Admit it Loki, I intrigue you." She stated before turning and knocking on the Queen's door.

She looked back at Loki, and his eyes were wide.

"What are you gawking at My Lord?" She asked a tad worried by his expression.

"You said my name, without any title…"

Sigyn thought about that a second and gripped the book in her hands tighter.

"So I did…"

The door to the Queen's chamber opened before Sigyn could make up some excuse, revealing Frigga herself.

"Good morning Sigyn… and Loki? Have you come to join us once again darling?"

Sigyn tried to hide her smile at Loki's frustration with Frigga's motherly pet name.

"It would be a welcomed break from training." Loki admitted.

Frigga smiled and wrapped her arm around Sigyn and led her into the room. Loki's measured footsteps trailed behind them.

"I hope that your parents have not scolded you too harshly for slapping Thor." The Queen stated.

Sigyn unconsciously bit her bottom lip.

"I suppose they were not too harsh, though I have been prohibited from attending any banquets for the foreseeable future." Sigyn explained while sitting down in the same chair she had occupied the last time she had come to visit the Queen.

Loki sat directly across from her, and gave a start at her pronouncement.

"Hmm that is really quite unnecessary." Frigga determined. "I can only assume that your actions were provoked. Thor can be a bit too forward with young Ladies…"

"My Queen, I am sure Prince Thor had no…"

Frigga began to laugh at the beginning of what would be a lie on Sigyn's part.

"My dear Sigyn, a mother always knows her sons better than they think she does. I am well aware of Thor's…enterprises where young women are concerned. If Thor made advances towards you that you did not appreciate, then your actions were entirely justified."

"Well my punishment is not so terrible." Sigyn determined. "It is likely that my parents will relent after the first few banquets since Frida will begin to complain about having to attend by herself."

Frigga smiled kindly at Sigyn, and Sigyn couldn't help but shift a little uncomfortably at what she was going to reveal next.

"In all honesty… I am somewhat encouraged by my parent's reaction, especially my mother's. It has just been so long since she has shown any signs of unbridled emotion about…well about anything…" Sigyn trailed off.

She wasn't sure why she felt so comfortable revealing this to the Queen after such a short acquaintance, and with Loki in the room no less. All she knew was that Frigga emitted a presence that invited others to be open and honest with her. She seemed both caring and understanding, even to those that were not her own flesh and blood.

"Your mother is much changed since I knew her as a girl." The Queen acknowledged.

"She is much changed since Iounn's death." Sigyn clarified.

The Queen reached out to Sigyn and grasped her hand.

"I cannot imagine the pain of losing one child Sigyn, let alone three children and a grandchild. I imagine the agony is unspeakable. In time your mother will heal, though you can hardly expect her to be the same woman you remember." Frigga heartened.

Loki sat respectfully silent at this exchange, and Sigyn was grateful. She doubted the young Prince knew anything about her family's losses, and she hardly wished to become an object of his pity. Frigga must have sensed the sensitivity Sigyn felt to the current subject because she quickly changed it.

"Now tell me what you thought of the book." She said in a lighter tone.

Sigyn wasted no time in singing its praises. It didn't take long for her to begin recounting her favorite stories, and the Queen sat back and listened with a contented smile to Sigyn's speeches. It was not long before Loki began interjecting his own thoughts, and the two soon found themselves in a heated discussion about the tales. Their opinions were not too differing, but there were several legends that they could not seem to agree on the motivations of those mentioned in the stories. The Queen never interjected, and Sigyn assumed that it was because she was too amused by Loki and her. They probably did seem a little silly debating over children's bedtime stories. The morning hours passed quickly, and Frigga invited Sigyn to stay and take lunch with the Royal family.

"I appreciate the offer My Queen, but I am not sure that is such a wise idea…" Sigyn pointed out.

"Do not let Thor's presence deter you Sigyn, I promise he will behave himself." The Queen assured.

Sigyn thought for a moment, and finally accepted the Queen's invitation. Frigga led the way to the dining hall with Loki and Sigyn close behind her on either side. Sigyn took the time to really study their surroundings. She had only seen the beautiful open air corridors at night, but the daylight revealed all the details that night's shadows hid. Odin was already present when the three of them entered the dining hall.

"I see we have a guest." He remarked with a smile.

Sigyn quickly dropped into a curtsy in front of the AllFather.

"The Queen was kind enough to invite me." She replied.

Odin approached Sigyn and lifted her chin with his hand.

"And I am glad she did."

He pulled a seat out for Sigyn, and she sat down with a nod of appreciation. Odin then pulled out a chair for his wife so she could sit next to Sigyn. He finally took a seat at the head of the table, and Loki made his way around to the seat opposite Sigyn's. They began the meal without Thor, and the AllFather made a few polite inquiries into Sigyn's family to put her at ease. Thor finally arrived to the meal, and took the seat between Odin and Loki. He threw Sigyn a few disapproving glances while filling up his plate.

_"What a child!"_ Sigyn huffed inwardly.

The eldest Prince of Asgard was seriously going to pout over a little public humiliation and not getting his way? At least Loki had the sense to laugh off her rejection. Still, she didn't desire any bad blood between Thor and herself, so she decided that she would try to soothe his ruffled feathers.

"I am pleased to see that you don't suffer any ill effects from my outburst last night, Prince Thor."

It wasn't an apology, simply a statement. Sigyn might be willing to make amends, but she had no intention of apologizing.

"And I am pleased to see that you seem to be so amused by it Lady Sigyn." Thor pouted.

Sigyn coughed to cover up her laugh, and then tried a different tactic.

"I never got the chance to tell you what a good dancer you are, I honestly hadn't expected you to be that good." She admitted truthfully.

Thor looked up from his plate pleasantly surprised.

"You really think so?" He asked with a hint of disbelief.

Sigyn smiled. She supposed that she would be skeptical of flattery as well if Loki was her brother.

"Yes, I do My Prince. You are very self-aware with your body. I can only assume that comes from your extensive physical training." She noted.

Thor brightened up considerably and Loki rolled his eyes. Sigyn smiled at the former and ignored the latter. She was not simply sucking up to Thor, he was very self-aware physically so his dancing instincts were rather good.

"Frigga tells me that you are quite the reader Sigyn." Odin interjected.

"I do enjoy reading. It gives me something peaceful to do since I am terrible at weaving and embroidering." Sigyn replied.

Odin began to enquire into her personal studies only to discover that she was mainly self-taught. As a woman she was expected to know a few domestic duties, but as a noblewoman those duties were few. Her knowledge of history, diplomacy, and literature came from her own desire to read and learn. Her parents had not discouraged her inquisitive mind, but they had never hired a private tutor to instruct her.

Sigyn couldn't help but marvel at how much Thor could eat as the conversation carried on. She was full after one plate, but he had to be on his third by this point, and he didn't show any signs of slowing down when dessert was placed in front of them. What stunned her even more though was how much Loki could eat. He was significantly smaller than Thor, and Sigyn didn't remember him eating a great deal at the first banquet she had attended. Perhaps she just hadn't been paying attention, or perhaps Loki was going to be suffering from a serious stomach-ache later on. Something inside Sigyn told her that the second option was the more likely of the two.


	10. Loki's not so brilliant idea

Author's Note: Not much to say here except that I own nothing save Sigyn and her family. **Reteka Hyuuga** poor Loki has no clue what he is doing right now, yet everyone else seems to. I hate it when that happens to me! Oh and never fear, I have not forgotten about Sif's hair. Loki needs a little assistance since we all know Sif doesn't trust him enough to get close to her. I bet you know who he is going to try to recruit :)

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This was a terrible idea, and Loki knew it. Thor could eat and drink him under the table any day so why was he trying to keep up with him? Loki wasn't really sure why he was doing it; all he knew was that he had to. Thor just looked so smug. Sigyn's compliment had gone to his head; Loki could see it in Thor's perfect crystal blue eyes.

_" 'You are very self-aware with your body'… self-aware indeed. He had planned on showing you just how self-aware with his body he could be, till you slapped him that is." _Loki thought silently.

Sigyn was maddening with her charming smile, blue-green eyes, and… and why was she smiling at Thor like that!? It made Loki sick, or maybe that was the obscene amount of food he had been eating that was making him sick… who even cared. Loki had completely lost track of the conversation by this point, so he just stared at the dessert in front of him. He had a bit of a sweet tooth, but even the thought of eating the dessert made him want to throw-up.

"Are you going to eat that?" Thor asked after finishing his off.

Loki looked at Thor's empty plate and mustered his courage.

"Of course I am." He said a bit tersely.

He could feel Sigyn's eyes on him and he swallowed nervously. There was no going back now. From the moment the first bite hit his stomach Loki began to curse his stupidity.

_"Of all the plans I have ever had, this one is certainly the stupidest…"_ He cursed silently.

Of course the more Loki thought about this plan the more he realized that there wasn't even a plan to begin with. He was in some bizarre eating contest with Thor for no reason. Loki kept his eyes on his dessert till he had finally finished it off. There was no sense of accomplishment or joy when he finished, merely an overly full stomach. Those at the table dismissed themselves and Loki hobbled behind Frigga and Sigyn back to his mother's sitting room. There was certainly no way he would be able to go train with Thor in this condition. He sat in a haze as Sigyn and Frigga talked until Sigyn addressed him.

"Do you feel well My Prince? You look indisposed."

"I fear we may be boring him to death." Frigga stated.

"Or perhaps he ate a bit too much at lunch." Sigyn offered.

Loki sat up a little straighter.

"I don't think it is a question of how much I ate, but what I ate. I think that the meat might have been undercooked."

Sigyn gave him a condescending look. "I ate the meat and I feel perfectly fine. Perhaps your royal stomach is more sensitive than mine?"

"Perhaps." Loki replied grudgingly.

He did not feel well enough to argue with Sigyn at the moment. Frigga stood from her seat.

"I will go fetch a few of the books we were discussing, and you can decide which ones you would like to take home with you."

Upon Frigga's exit Loki sprawled out very ungentlemanly like and held his head with his hands.

"By the Norns, I ate too much…" He lamented.

Sigyn began to giggle and Loki shot her a disapproving look.

"I thought you had. What in the Nine Realms possessed you to eat that much?"

"I have no idea." Loki replied honestly.

He felt confined in his tunic, but seeing as Sigyn was present he didn't have the option of removing it. He did the next best thing instead; he removed his belt. He set the item on the small table in front of him and Sigyn eyed it in amusement.

"Best not let your mother see that." She noted.

She removed her shawl and placed it strategically over his belt. Loki sent her a grateful smile and then went back to focusing on not throwing his lunch up. Frigga returned not long after and Loki went back to pretending that he felt perfectly fine. He even managed to throw in his own opinion of a couple of the books Frigga had brought back. He couldn't help but feel a little proud when Sigyn picked two of the books that he had recommended to take back home with her. Once she had decided on her books, Sigyn and the Queen talked for a while longer. Again Loki found himself paying little to no attention, but neither of the women bothered to point it out. After what felt like an eternity, Sigyn finally excused herself. Once the young woman had left, Frigga went to stand behind Loki and ran her hand over the top of his head as she used to do when he was a child.

"I would lecture you on how silly you were at lunch today, but I feel that your stomach is already teaching you that lesson." She commented teasingly.

"An astute observation." Loki lamented.

"May I offer you some advice?" Frigga asked.

"Next time eat less?" he replied sarcastically.

Frigga bopped him on the head and Loki smiled.

"I was thinking a little less obvious."

Loki tilted his head to look at his mother who was leaning over him a little.

"Stop trying to be Thor."

"What sort of advice is that?"

"The type of advice you should heed if you want to impress Sigyn."

"There you go with that 'impressing Sigyn' nonsense again…"

"I think it is time you stop writing it off as nonsense Loki."

"And I think it is time for a nap." Loki hastily replied while standing from his seat.

"Well try not to sleep through dinner darling."

"Must you really call me that mother?"

"Why shouldn't I? Does it bother you?"

"It doesn't bother me it's just… aren't I a little old for that particular term of endearment."

"You will never be too old for that particular endearment, Loki. I don't understand why it bothers you so much, it's not as if you are worrying about trying to impress anybody."

Frigga gave that annoying all-knowing smile and Loki knew this was a battle he was never going to win. He placed a kiss on his mother's cheek and beat a hasty retreat.


	11. Setting the plan in motion

Author's Note: This is a shorter chapter, but the next one will be a tad longer. You already know the drill with the whole disclaimer thing so I am just going to skip it! **A Nice Person**, I am so sorry I didn't reply in the last chapter! I actually didn't get the review till after I posted it…my bad. As for your first review I am so excited that you think the chapters get better and better, I hope I can keep that up! As for your second review, I am so honored that you like this story so much! **Reteka Hyuuga **it is perfectly acceptable to feel bad **and** laugh at Loki's lapse of judgment, I certainly do! **Snow White Queen** there really are so many ways that you can interpret the two Princes in their younger years, and I suppose that it was makes them so fun to write. They are constantly learning about themselves and taking steps that will develop them into the characters we already know and love. I feel that if there was one character in the entire Marvel Universe that wanted to be sassy to my face and I wouldn't care, it would be Frigga. She would just be so classy about it that I probably wouldn't even realize I had been insulted till after the fact. Yes, Loki is far too old for eating contests, but I think it is a good example of something that will plague him throughout the series. Because he is so inherently mischievous he will always have a slightly childlike disposition, but because he is so logical he will always have a certain amount of maturity. When he is in his right frame of mind he has no problem balancing the too, but when something disrupts his mindset the two opposing personality traits will clash. That gives the basis for his turbulent shifts between control and lack of control. That is just one way to look at it though. I am sure that Sigyn's effect on Loki is very frustrating to him since he is used to being the one that gets to people with a mere word. I think it will be interesting to see how Loki's mischievousness will rub off on Sigyn. She is playful in her ways now, but the question is will he bring out a less playful side in her personality? Even I don't know the answer to that yet...

* * *

Sigyn sat contentedly reading her latest book. Her parent's and Frida had gone to yet another banquet without her, but Sigyn didn't mind. Her absence played well into her plan for innocent revenge against Loki. With Sigyn out of the picture, Loki would have to find some other girl to try his wiles on. Of course the success of Sigyn's entire plan hinged on said girl succumbing to his charms, but she didn't foresee that being a problem. While Prince Loki might be arrogant and proud, he did have a way with words. Sigyn actually found him quite charming and engaging, but at the moment her need to one-up him was more important than his attractiveness.

It was early in the morning when her family returned, and Sigyn put her book away in anticipation of Frida's traditional after banquet visit. Her older sister was quite punctual, and came into the room glowing.

"He has his sights set on Amora all right." Frida informed.

When Sigyn had asked Frida to keep an eye on Loki's movements at the banquets for her, Frida had been a bit skeptical at first. When Sigyn had explained that it was because she needed information so she could play a little prank on the Prince however, Frida jumped right on board. Apparently she thought that the trickster Prince deserved a taste of his own medicine.

"Are you certain?" Sigyn prodded.

"He spent the entirety of the last banquet talking and dancing with her, and tonight they disappeared off to who knows where." Frida assured while taking a seat on Sigyn's bed.

"What about the girl from the first banquet I missed? Has he shown any further interest in her?"

"No, not after that first evening."

"Good… and Amora… does she seem genuinely interested in him?"

Frida smirked.

"I don't know for certain, but my guess is that she is trying to go through him to get to Thor. Why? Are you jealous?"

Sigyn shrugged. "Maybe a little, but tell me, what of Markus?"

Frida lit up at the mention of the Captain's name.

"Sigyn he is wonderful…"

Sigyn spent the next hour happily listening to Frida talk on and on about the young man. He had mentioned wanting to court her, and Sigyn had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before he approached their parents on the subject. Sigyn certainly hoped he would. Frida deserved to be happy with a man who loved and respected her.

Frida left sometime right before dawn, promising to convince their parents to allow Sigyn to attend banquets once more. Sigyn curled into bed and took a look at the belt that was sitting on her nightstand as she snuffed out her candle. She doubted Loki noticed her taking it when she grabbed her shawl all those weeks ago in the Queen's sitting room. Even if he had, she was fairly certain that he wouldn't have any clue as to why she took it. Her plan was clever, maybe not as publicly embarrassing as his had been, but it wasn't as if she was looking to scar him for life or anything. Sigyn let the excitement of her scheme sink in as she drifted off to sleep.

It took a couple of days, but Frida had finally been able to convince their mother and father to let Sigyn attend the next big celebration. Sigyn didn't have long to wait since the summer solstice was quickly approaching. This had always been her favorite celebration of the year since she had been allowed to take part in the outdoor festival that took place after the banquet when she was a child. The days trickled by and Sigyn began making preparations. A majority of the festival was held outside by large bonfires, so she decided to wear one of her less cumbersome gowns and forgo sparkling gems for flowers she would gather once the feast had ended. When the big night finally arrived, Sigyn hid Loki's belt inside her family's carriage with the intention of retrieving it after the banquet. The meal itself was not particularly interesting seeing as Frida spent the entire time flirting with Markus leaving Sigyn to act as the third wheel. After desert was finished, Odin instructed everyone to go outside to witness the lighting of the bonfires.

Sigyn always enjoyed watching the bonfires light up around Asgard. The flames danced in the evening sky, and music began to ring out through the city. Sigyn sat out the first few dances with several other girls so that they could gather flowers to place in their hair. Frida, along with a few other lucky ladies, had flowers given to them by their romantic interests. Markus had tucked a Lilac behind Frida's ear, and was now dancing with her. Sigyn smiled at the couple. Frida was in love, and Sigyn was extremely happy for her. While some of the girls were content was just sticking flowers randomly into their hair, that wasn't enough for Sigyn. She carefully picked an armful of Lily of the Valleys and Ivy with the intention of making herself a crown of flowers. She had just begun making it when some of the little girls, who were obviously excited that they were getting to stay up past their bedtime, came over to her. Apparently they wanted to make crowns too, so Sigyn, and a few of the other older girls that were still working with their flowers, began helping the children. Sigyn started to tell stories as she worked, and soon it wasn't just the little girls that were gathered around her. Some of the younger boys also joined to listen intently as Sigyn recounted stories from Asgard's legends and history. Sigyn loved to watch their faces as she told tales of glorious battles and romantic lovers. She was enjoying herself so much that she lost track of time.

The stars where high in the sky by the time Sigyn remembered that she had a prank to pull. She reluctantly left the children and snuck off to the stables. After retrieving Loki's belt she hid it amongst the folds of her dress. She was making her way to Frida to see if she had kept an eye on Loki when Frigga stopped her.

"Good evening Sigyn, you look lovely tonight."

Sigyn quickly curtsied.

"Thank you My Queen, though I do not look half as radiant as you."

Frigga laughed.

"There is no need for flattery my dear, I am well aware that I am an old woman."

Sigyn looked taken aback.

"Surely, My Queen, I do not flatter you. Age does not determine a woman's beauty."

"Then what does?" The Queen asked curiously.

"Her heart." Sigyn replied firmly. "I have never met a woman with a beautiful heart that I have found to be ugly, and I have never met a woman with an ugly heart that I have found to be beautiful."

"That is a very noble sentiment, if only everyone were as sensible as you. Now where are you off too in such a rush?"

"To find my sister."

It wasn't a lie, and it wasn't like she could just say "Oh I am off to go embarrass your son!" Sigyn just hoped that she didn't look too guilty.

"Well then I shan't keep you. Might I convince you to come to the palace tomorrow though? It has been so long since one of our little chats, and I would like to know what you thought of the books you borrowed."

Sigyn quickly agreed to visit the Queen and then went in search of Frida once again. It didn't take her long to spot her and Markus talking with a few other couples. Sigyn signaled over to her sister and Frida nodded her head in acknowledgement. She whispered something to Markus and came over to Sigyn.

"If you plan on doing something you best hurry." Frida said in a hushed voice upon reaching Sigyn. "He left with Amora a couple of dances ago."

"Do you know what direction they went?" Sigyn quickly asked.

"Probably down towards the spring. It is a popular spot since it is fairly secluded."

Sigyn thanked Frida and headed for the spring. She had a feeling that she was going to have to interrupt a few happy couples in her search for the second Prince of Asgard, but it would be a small price to pay to see the look on Loki's face when she did find him.


	12. Sin and Restitution

Author's Note: Ta-da, another chapter! I own nothing etc. etc. etc. **Reteka Hyuuga…** perhaps Sigyn's revenge is not going to be funny at all… I suppose you will just have to read and find out :) **A Nice Person **you and your reviews are cherished :) Oh and never fear, I never plan on letting months pass before I update (that is far too cruel)! There may be a week or two here or there that I don't update, but that is usually only going to be when my family is in town or because of large holidays… which normally those things go hand in hand. Anyway I hope I can continue to live up to your expectations, it certainly puts the pressure on o.O (Good pressure though, good pressure! It means I continually have to strive to do better and never slack off!)

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Loki moaned slightly as Amora tangled her fingers into his hair. The slight tugging sensation felt divine and caused Loki's blood to race faster. He let one hand massage the goddess' waist as his other hand slid down to her upper thigh. He was dying to breathe, but his lips had become too greedy and refused to leave Amora's. She wasn't the brightest, but she certainly knew how to kiss. A burning sensation began to manifest itself in Loki's abdomen, and he knew that this time he would take things all the way. He was about to undo the laces of Amora's dress when a familiar voice interrupted.

"Loki?!"

Amora jerked back at the sudden intrusion and Loki let a few choice words run through his mind. He turned his head to look at Sigyn without releasing Amora from his grasp. Sigyn had simply used his name without any title, which could only mean one thing: this was an act. She had finally come for her revenge.

"Lady Sigyn? What an unexpected surprise…"

Sigyn folded her arms. "What a redundant expression. Surprises are supposed to be unexpected…"

"Yes, a wonderful point… now is there something you need because if not I would like to point out that _we_ are in the middle of something." He interjected impatiently.

"Yes, there is something I _need_, I need to know why you are here with _her_. I could hardly believe it when Frida told me… in fact I didn't believe it when Frida told me! How could you, after all the excitement and fun we've had, just toss me aside the second my back is turned?"

Amora began to fidget awkwardly and Loki turned his head to face her again.

"She is lying Amora, I have never been with her."

"Ha! Really? If you want to lie about it then next time you shouldn't leave things behind once we finish…" Sigyn seethed before pulling an object out from the folds of her dress and tossing it to him.

Loki turned and caught the object, groaning inwardly when he recognized it.

_"Well this is certainly damning…"_ He thought to himself.

"Where are your lies now My Prince?" Sigyn challenged.

Loki wasn't sure what to say next. He could tell the truth, but it was almost more embarrassing than Sigyn's lie in a way. What girl wants to be told that a teenage boy enjoys spending time in the company of his mother and another girl? He could tell a lie as to how Sigyn came across the belt, but there really was no believable explanation that didn't involve Loki and Sigyn being alone together. His only other option was to go along with Sigyn's lie. He let go of Amora and took a step towards Sigyn.

"You best go." He commented over his shoulder to Amora.

She nodded her head in agreement and left as quickly as she could to go spread the news.

Loki stood silently staring Sigyn down. He couldn't deny the brilliance of her plan, or the fact that he had unknowingly been setting himself up for it. If he hadn't led Thor to believe that he had slept with Sigyn, then no one else would think he had either. The combination of Loki's reputation as the 'god of lies' and Sigyn's physical "proof" would be more than enough to convince everyone that Loki had been with her and then got caught cheating on her. What made matters worse was Sigyn's reaction to Thor's advances. Now everyone would simply assume that she had shunned them because she was with _him_. Sigyn was going to come out looking like the 'goddess of fidelity,' while he would simply be living up to his reputation as the 'god of lies and deceit.'

"I believe we are even now." Sigyn mused once she was sure Amora was long gone.

"It would seem so." Loki replied.

"So are you angry or impressed with my little performance?" She asked.

Loki smirked. "A little of both."

"If you are worried about your reputation, I am sure Amora's story will only circulate a short time before something even more shocking happens." Sigyn comforted.

"I hardly think my reputation could get any worse." Loki admitted aloud.

"I don't think your reputation is all that bad." Sigyn noted.

"Then you are the only one who thinks so."

"Why must you always insist that others do not like you?" Sigyn queried.

"I don't ever recall insisting anything of the sort to you." Loki noted.

"You didn't have to. I am pretty observant, and I can see it in your eyes. You feel inferior to those around you for some reason, and I don't understand it."

Loki could see the honesty on Sigyn's face, but didn't feel like confronting her observation.

"I insist that others don't like me because they don't, not really. They merely tolerate me because I am a Prince, and because Thor likes me."

"Aren't you a bit young to be taking on the 'everyone is against me' mentality?" Sigyn pointed out.

"On the contrary, I thought this was the phase of life when we were supposed to take on that mentality."

Sigyn smiled. "Well I must have skipped that phase of growing up, and you are wrong. Not everyone merely tolerates you. I happen to like you." She stated before turning to leave.

Loki watched as she began to make her way back to the bonfire, and he decided to stop her.

"Lady Sigyn…"

"Yes, Prince Loki?"

"Since you have officially ruined my plans for the evening a second time, would you care to stay a while and look at the stars with me?"

Sigyn quirked an eyebrow.

"Will this be another attempt to woo me, My Prince?"

Loki raised his right hand as if taking an oath.

"I swear on my honor I shall not try to kiss you this time."

"Kissing and wooing are not the same thing." Sigyn pointed out.

"I can promise not to kiss you, but with my unlimited supply of charm I can't promise that I won't woo you."

Sigyn rolled her eyes in a playful manner.

"Well try to moderate your charm m'Lord, I don't think I could survive having you sweep me off my feet." She retorted.

Loki smirked. "Really?"

Sigyn must have caught the mischievous look in his eyes because she held up a finger to scold him.

"Don't you dare…" she began, but it was too late.

Loki had already strided up to her and tossed her unceremoniously across his shoulder.

"How dare you!? Put me down!" She protested while squirming to get away.

Loki merely chuckled at her struggles as he descended the slight incline to get closer to the spring. His chuckling stopped however, when a good wiggle from Sigyn threw him off-balance taking them both to the ground. Sigyn giggled away as she lay sprawled out over him, but Loki's gaze was so riveted on her that all he could manage was a smile. The scent of the flowers in her crown mixed with her perfume was intoxicating, and her body so wantonly close to his tempted him to wrap his arms around her smaller frame. He resisted the urge however, and helped her get off of him once she had regained control of her laughter. The two of them lay side by side in the grass to look at the stars the most comfortably. Sigyn's long hair sprawled carefree around her and she folded her hands over her stomach. Loki rested his hands behind his head and sighed contentedly.

"Do you think we will see any shooting stars?" She whispered.

"Possibly." He replied in the same hushed tone.

"So is green your favorite color?" She asked randomly after a slight pause.

Loki smiled. "I suppose, why?"

"Just curious, you just always seem to be wearing it."

"You have my mother to thank for that. Apparently it brings out my eyes." Loki replied playfully.

Sigyn smiled, but continued to watch the sky intently. Loki returned his gaze there as well, and for a time there was little noise save that of the summer bugs and the faint sound of celebration music. The festival wouldn't officially end till sunrise so Sigyn and Loki had plenty of time to sit and watch the stars. Sometimes Loki would point out constellations to her, and other times she would direct his attention to shooting stars. As the sun began to rise Loki helped Sigyn to stand, and he led her up the path back to the bonfire. As they came up to a large area of flowers Loki stopped to retrieve a very specific bloom. Sigyn eyed him curiously as he hid the flower behind his back and stood in front of her.

"Shall we call a truce to our little grudge match?" He inquired.

"Were you not enjoying it?" She asked teasingly.

"I was, but I feel that our talents would be better served in a combined effort." He reasoned.

"And do you have some scheme in mind, My Prince?"

"Perhaps…"

"And are you not going to tell me what it is?"

"I will, but you have yet to accept my truce."

Sigyn pretended to exaggeratedly contemplate the offer for a few moments before relenting.

"Truce." She stated while holding her hand out for him to shake.

Loki took her hand and turned her palm down before bringing her knuckles up to his lips. He could detect a slight shudder course through Sigyn's body, but her face hid any of the emotions her body betrayed.

"I see the Queen did work with you on that." She jested.

Loki didn't respond. Instead, he brought the flower from behind his back for her to see.

"An Iris…" he began.

"for friendship." She finished.

"I suppose I should have known you knew your flowers." He stated while tucking the flower into her somewhat battered crown.

"Thank you Loki."

Loki extended his arm out to Sigyn, and she took it gently. The two walked the rest of the way in silence, but Loki spoke up before releasing her to go to her family.

"May I assume that you will be seeing my mother again today?"

Sigyn nodded.

"Then I shall see you later."

Sigyn gave a small curtsy before going to join her parents and sister. Once she was gone, Loki began to make his way back inside the palace. A friend… he had a friend. Not one of Thor's friends that suffered his presence for Thor's sake, but a friend of his own.


	13. Comrades in arms

Author's Note: Sorry this took a little longer to post than I had intended it to, but better late then never! I own nothing, read, review, etc. etc. etc. ** MithrilEvanesco** welcome to the party! Isn't it nice to know that Loki was actually able to make a friend of his own :) **Forbidden Moons** I agree that Sigyn's story is one of the most touching in the Norse Mythology, but I always feel like she never gets enough recognition. She is known as the 'goddess of Fidelity,' but if you look deeper she is a heck of a lot more than that. She suffers so much (between the deaths of her sons and the punishment of her husband), yet none of the other gods or goddesses seem to give her the time of day. She is shunned based on the actions of her husband, what cruel treatment. Obviously I am going a different route than the mythology. **Snow White Queen** I agree completely with you. Loki is just such a fascinating character study, and it does seem the more you dissect him, the more we are left to wonder. I am so glad that my update came at a good time for you! I will say that those moments when you begin to struggle and doubt the integrity of your art (and I truly believe this applies to all art forms) are those moments when you are about to make your biggest breakthrough. Soldier on as they say! Oh yes, Frigga will put two and two together. The question is what will she do with the answer once she has it? Will she interfere or will she let it run its course? I was quite happy with the outcome of Sigyn's prank as well. I didn't want it to be dark, and I didn't feel the necessity of it being so. Loki had no real personal connection to Amora so it wasn't like he was really losing anything, and I think he couldn't help but be at least a little impressed with Sigyn. I don't think he thought she had the capacity of pulling a stunt like that off. There will come a time for turbulence in Sigyn and Loki's relationship, but that time is not now. **A Nice Person **I am glad that the prank played out to your liking :) hopefully there is more playful banter in store!

* * *

Sigyn was more than a little drowsy when she went to visit the Queen, but she perked up a little when she saw that Loki was already with his mother in her sitting room. The Queen took a more active role in the discussion regarding the books Sigyn had read than she had during their last visit, but the conversation was still dominated by Loki and Sigyn. As before, Frigga invited Sigyn to take lunch with the Royal family, and Sigyn accepted without hesitation this time. Odin was not present for lunch, but Thor managed to show up on time. Sigyn noted that Loki had learned his lesson and made no attempt to eat as much as Thor. The conversation at the table started with Frigga inquiring after Thor's training, which Thor turned into…

"Loki should train with us more."

… to which Loki replied

"Why would I train with you when I can spend time with a pretty girl?"

Thor countered Loki's argument with the fact that Lady Sif was a pretty girl, and Loki nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, pretty vain."

Thor laughed at the comment as if Loki simply meant it as a joke, but something about Loki's tone of voice caused Sigyn to think that he wasn't merely jesting. Once Thor finished laughing he poured himself another goblet of wine and looked towards Sigyn.

"So Loki tells me that you are a proficient rider…"

Sigyn quirked an eyebrow. Was he really going to try this again, and in front of his mother?

"…on horseback that is." He hastily added.

"Ahh… yes, I am a fairly proficient rider." She replied.

"So would you be interested in joining us tomorrow for a ride out into the country?" Thor asked.

"Of course!" She replied excitedly.

"Wonderful! We will meet at the Royal stables tomorrow morning at sunrise."

The arrangements made, the topic was dropped. Overall the meal had been quite pleasant, but Sigyn was glad when she found herself in the Queen's sitting room once more.

"I was thinking that perhaps you would like to choose your own book today." Frigga noted to Sigyn.

"I am certainly not opposed to that suggestion." Sigyn agreed.

"Loki would you mind terribly showing her to the library?" The Queen requested.

Loki answered that he would not mind, and Sigyn soon found herself following him down the complex corridors of the palace.

"It's a wonder you don't get lost in this place…" She mused aloud.

"We sometimes did when we were younger." Loki admitted.

"By 'we' I assume you mean Thor and yourself."

"Yes, though I am fairly certain he got lost more often than I did. Paying attention is not really his strong suit."

"So who is the 'us' that will be going riding tomorrow?"

"You, Thor, the Warriors Three, Lady Sif, and myself."

"The Warriors Three?"

"Hogun, Volstagg, and Fandral. It is an annoying name they have gotten into the habit of calling themselves. You have met them haven't you?"

Sigyn shook her head 'no.'

"Well don't let Hogun intimidate you… I am fairly certain he never smiles. He probably won't like you, but in all honesty I am not sure he likes anyone."

Sigyn was slightly bothered by this, but didn't interrupt Loki to voice her worry.

"Volstagg is pleasant enough I suppose. He is rather large, and is fonder of food than anything else. If you are a good cook you will easily win your way into his heart."

Sigyn made a mental note of that as Loki continued talking.

"Fandral is probably the only boy close to our age that can rival Thor in the number of women he has slept with, so don't be surprised if he tries to charm his way into bed with you…"

"Like you did?"

Loki ignored her comment.

"If he does try, you have my full permission to slap him."

"I hardly need permission to slap anyone, but thank you for the warning." Sigyn replied with a gleam in her eye.

Loki pulled up in front of a pair of large doors. He glanced down to Sigyn, and that is when she noticed that he had most certainly grown taller during the past few months of their acquaintance.

"You better brace yourself." He warned.

Sigyn wasn't really sure why he was telling her to brace herself, but the second he opened the doors she understood. The Royal library was overwhelming. It was a rather large room with shelves cram packed with books and manuscripts lining the walls. There was a large circular table in the center of the room with chairs circling it. Loki motioned for her to go in first, and she shamelessly staggered into the room. Loki had brought the books back that Sigyn had previously read, and he went to place them back in their appropriate homes while Sigyn studied the cases in front of her. She extended her hand out to touch one of the spines, but thought better of it at the last moment. Surely there was some sort of protective spell over these beautiful tomes and treasures. Loki must have been watching her fight the urge to reach out and grab the first book she saw because he began to chuckle. Sigyn looked over her shoulder to where he stood leaning against the case he had just placed one of Sigyn's books in. She couldn't stop from thinking how handsome he looked like that. His green eyes shining with amusement, and his façade of rigid formality nowhere to be found as his lithe body leaned against the bookcase. She could feel a guilty blush begin to form as thoughts of the Prince's attractiveness danced through her head, but she wasn't sure why she felt guilty. She had already admitted to herself that Loki was handsome, and now that she wasn't worried about one-upping him it was perfectly fine for her to appreciate that fact.

"Its ok, you can touch them." Loki encouraged.

Sigyn secretly hoped he wasn't pulling some kind of stunt as she reached out for the tome nearest her, but luckily she had nothing to fear. The book she pulled out was a book on famous Asgardian artists. She took the tome over to the table and sat down to read it while Loki put away the second book she had borrowed. Once he had completed that task, he came to sit beside her.

"Interesting choice." Loki noted as he studied the book in front of Sigyn.

"I just picked the first one I saw." She admitted. "It is a wonder you ever leave this room, I know that if I lived here I wouldn't."

"I am quite fond of this particular room, but unfortunately being a Prince of Asgard has its responsibilities that require me to leave it."

"Show me your favorite books." Sigyn requested.

"Very well." He replied with a smile.

Sigyn followed him around the library as he pulled out about a dozen books. The pair didn't bother to return to the table. Instead, they took a seat on the ground and spread the books out over the floor. Sigyn wasn't sure how long they spent looking over the books, but she didn't care. Never in her life had she had anyone that she could talk so freely and comfortable with aside from her sisters. When it became apparent that she was having difficulty choosing which one to take home Loki picked out three and handed them to her.

"I can take all three home with me!?" She asked in excitement.

"No one aside from me will even notice their absence. It is not like the Royal library is a popular spot for Thor and his friends to visit." Loki pointed out.

"Speaking of Thor's friends, you have yet to tell me about Lady Sif. From what you said at lunch I assume that you are not exactly fond of her."

"More like she is not exactly fond of me. Her dislike of me is quite the mystery, it's not as if I have done anything to her…yet."

Sigyn smirked.

"Yet?"

"Have you so quickly forgotten that I have a little trick in mind?" Loki asked.

"No, I had not forgotten, but I assumed you would bring it up when the time was right."

"Well now is as good a time as any. I want to turn Sif's hair black, temporarily that is." Loki explained.

"Why would you want to do that?" Sigyn queried.

"I wasn't jesting at lunch when I stated that Sif is vain. She is so proud of her long blonde hair that I thought it would be a good thing to remind her that a serious warrior doesn't flaunt that type of thing."

"Ahh, and where do I come in?"

"I know a spell that can change her hair color, but it requires the use of an item to transfer it. As you have probably already assumed, Sif doesn't trust me so I will never be able to get close enough."

"So let me make sure I understand you correctly. You want me to get close enough to Sif to give her this cursed item?"

"Yes, I could also use some help in determining what item to place the spell on."

Sigyn thought about Loki's proposal for a moment, and then nodded.

"Very well, I'll help you."

Loki looked at her a bit surprised.

"That took less convincing then I thought you would need." He remarked.

Sigyn shrugged.

"Just a friend helping out a friend." She replied. "Speaking of help, would you like help putting these other books back?" She asked.

"If you don't mind…" He answered while picking up a few of the leather tomes.

Sigyn grabbed the ones he had left and began to look for their homes. The organizational system of the library was simple enough. Each row had a designated Realm of origin for the literature, and the books were catalogued in alphabetical order by the author in their respective row. The final book she had to replace needed to go on one of the top shelves, so Sigyn got on her tipy-toes in order to reach it. She huffed in frustration as she still came up short, but another hand placed itself over hers and helped to push the book into its slot.

"Thank you My Prince." She said while turning to face Loki.

"and here I was thinking that you were past calling me that."

"Well what else would you have me call you? My Lord?"

Loki scrunched his nose up at that.

"Most decidedly not."

He picked up the three books that Sigyn was taking home with her and began to walk her to the stables.

"How about… 'Your Majesty'?" She offered with a flourish of her hand.

"How about no."

"Perhaps you prefer something a bit more dramatic?"

Sigyn skipped ahead a few paces and turned to face him.

"My most gracious and esteemed Crown Prince Loki."

She said with a smile and an awkward bow/curtsy thing.

"If you are going to keep calling me ridiculous things like that I am taking these books back." He threatened.

"Eeek no!" Sigyn shouted while throwing herself at Loki and snatching the books from his arms.

Loki smiled and continued down the corridor with her.

"You should just call me Loki." He determined.

"That is hardly proper." Sigyn pointed out.

"Thor's friends hardly refer to us with our titles." He countered.

"But they are also your comrades in arms." She argued.

"And are you not my comrade in arms? I have already admitted to you that I cannot trick Lady Sif without your assistance."

Sigyn contemplated that for a moment before sighing.

"I suppose you are correct My Lor..oki" She corrected at the last moment.

"My, my aren't we possessive. Perhaps we should stick to Loki instead of 'My Loki,' unless of course I may call you 'My Sigyn'?"

Sigyn laughed. "No, I believe Loki and Sigyn will suffice."

The two talked pleasantly the rest of the way to the stables. When they finally reached them Sigyn placed the books in the bag attached to her side-saddle. She allowed Loki to assist her up onto Roan even though she was fully capable of doing so herself.

"I shall see you tomorrow morning, Sigyn." He said in farewell.

"I look forward to it, Loki." She replied before signaling Roan to head back home.

She was going to have to go to bed early in preparation for her dawn ride, but she would take the time to talk to Frida about the latest development in her relationship with Loki. It was likely that Frida would disapprove her newfound friendship with the Prince, but in the end she would be happy that Sigyn had a companion.


	14. A day at the lake

Author's Note: Not much to say on my end. **Snow White Queen** thank you so much for your kind words regarding Sigyn! I have always had trouble in the past creating a character that does not have Mary-Sue tendencies so if it looks like I am headed in that direction at any point tell me! I am also interested to see how Sigyn begins to react to Thor and his friends. This is their first meeting so I can't imagine it will be that eventful, but relationships develop in funny ways...

* * *

Thor and Loki were the only ones present at the stables when Sigyn reached them the next morning. She dismounted Roan swiftly and stroked his nose.

"Good morning." She greeted.

Loki returned her greeting, but Thor just stared at her clothing.

"Does my attire bother you My Prince?" She asked in amusement.

"I would not go as far to say that it bothers me, but it is indeed…unusual." Thor noted.

"Surely Lady Sif does not ride in a dress." Sigyn pointed out.

"No, but her riding attire is a bit more feminine. She wears a skirt thing of sorts over her pants." He tried explaining.

Sigyn raised an eyebrow. "That is hardly practical. My mother is a true Lady and she never shied away from riding trousers and a tunic so I see no reason why I should either."

She found it a bit odd that Thor found her attire to be shocking seeing as he kept company with a female warrior. It was true that, were she taller, she and one of the Princes could have switched outfits and no one would have been able to tell the difference aside from the colors, but Loki didn't seem to even notice the first time he saw her wearing it. At least she cinched in the waist of her tunic with a belt to keep her feminine curves if nothing else.

Hogun was the next to arrive followed by Sif, Volstagg, and lastly, Fandral. Sigyn was introduced to each of them upon their arrival, and at first glance she had to agree with Loki's assessment of them. Once everyone had arrived, they mounted their horses and set off towards a fairly well-known lake in the countryside. They kept their pace to a trot through the city itself, and Sigyn could sense Roan straining to go faster. She couldn't deny that she was hoping Thor would pick up the pace as well. There was little talk till they reached the outskirts of the city.

"Is everything all right My Lady?" Fandral asked Sigyn.

"Yes, why should it not be?" She queried.

"Everything should be all right, you just appear to be a bit bored." He noted.

"I think this pace is a little too slow for her tastes." Loki interceded.

Thor looked back and smiled.

"Too slow?" He asked.

"A little My Prince." She admitted.

"The lake is still a couple of miles away." Thor pointed out.

"And your mount can't gallop that far?" Sigyn challenged.

Sigyn had seen Thor's competitive streak, and was well aware that he wouldn't be able to turn down the challenge. On cue, Thor spurred his mount on, and the others followed suit. Sigyn held Roan to a moderate gallop, allowing her to maintain a pace that kept her next to Hogun and right behind Thor. She would make her move soon enough. Loki was able to pull up on Sigyn's opposite side, and he threw her a look that said he knew exactly what she was doing. She simply pretended not to notice his look. When they approached roughly a mile from the lake, Sigyn let Roan slip into a full-out gallop. She pulled away from Hogun and Loki with no problem and flew past Thor. The golden-haired Prince glanced over at her as she sped by, but she passed him too quickly to see what expression his features held. She reached the lake first, and slowed Roan to a canter and then back down to a trot as the others arrived. The group dismounted and Sigyn pulled out a treat from her saddlebag for Roan.

"It seems that my brother wasn't lying for once." Thor remarked while tying his horse's reins to a nearby low hanging branch. "You are a skilled rider."

Sigyn and the others also secured their horses reins to low hanging branches and made their way over to the lake. The group sat and talked by the lake for a few hours. The conversation mainly consisted of stories from the few small battles they had taken part in. It was fairly easy for Sigyn to peg each member of the group as they spoke. Thor was the leader, and was accustomed to getting his way. He was the strongest and most aggressive fighter of his friends. He had a passion for battle that was only likely to grow as he did. Hogun, the silent yet deadly type. He was extremely level-headed and unemotional, which made up for the silliness of his other companions. Volstagg was the optimism of the group. He was large and a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, but he had a kind heart that moved him to be the first to try to smooth over arguments between his friends. Fandral was the life of the party, the flashy one. He always seemed to be bringing a smile to other people's faces. Loki had been correct when he had labeled Fandral as bit of a womanizer, and Sigyn had to admit that he did have a strange sort of undeniable charm. Sif was a woman on a mission. She felt the need to always prove herself, which sometimes meant that she would bring up the weaknesses in others to divert attention from her own. Sigyn could hardly blame her though. She couldn't imagine how difficult it was for Sif to be taken seriously by all the male warriors around her. She was sure that having Prince Thor's support was a huge comfort to Sif. Loki was the observer. He was a part of the group without really being in it. This meant that he could look at the big picture and be the group's eyes. If someone were in trouble Loki would be the first to notice, and the first to come to their aid. This skill was probably underappreciated on the battlefield, but would be the reason most of them made it home. He was also the strategic mind of the group. While Thor would always have the final say, he respected Loki's opinion. In a way, Loki could temper Thor's brashness. Sigyn was interested to see how correctly she had read the dynamics of this group as she got to know them better.

After a while they finally determined that it was late enough to take their lunch. As they ate, Sigyn assessed her standing with Thor and his friends. Thor liked her well enough, and she assumed that had to do with her friendship to Loki. Fandral had taken to her immediately, but she had a feeling that he took to all women immediately. Volstagg was kind, though it would take time, and possibly a few treats, to befriend him. Hogun…well Hogun didn't seem to hate her so she supposed that was good enough for now. Sif seemed to be a bit wary of her, which was not surprising. She still associated her with Loki, and as long as Sif did that she would be hesitant to trust her. Sigyn knew it was going to take some time to win Sif's trust, and she hoped Loki realized that as well.

After lunch the boys decided it was time for a swim in the lake and Sif was swift to agree with them. There was no way that they would be getting Sigyn into the water though. She just preferred to stay on the shore and read. Not even Loki could convince her, though he tried incessantly for a good ten minutes. Sigyn finally won out with the excuse that the lake water would not be good for her riding clothes, and that she could hardly go swimming in her undergarments with young men present. The boys, satisfied with her reasoning, pulled their shirts off and jumped in. Sif threw Sigyn a glance and sighed.

"I can stay here with you if you wish." The girl offered, obviously trying to be amicable to Loki's new friend.

Sigyn smiled but shook her head. "There is no need for you to miss out on the fun. I am a big girl so I am perfectly capable of sitting here by myself."

Sif tried to hide her look of relief, and quickly followed the boys into the lake. Sigyn retrieved a book from her saddlebag, and curled up on the grass to read it. Every once in a while she would glance up to watch the group splashing about. They were able to pull her out of her book for a little while to judge a diving contest. Fandral was easily the best, but Sif and Loki weren't bad either. She wasn't sure Hogun understood how to dive properly, Thor was less than graceful, and she was fairly certain Volstagg hadn't even tried. It was an amusing diversion, and the rest of the afternoon proved to be just as pleasant. They finally decided that they had swum long enough so they came up to sit next to Sigyn on the bank. They all laid down in the warm summer sun to dry off, but one by one they dozed off till only Sigyn and Loki were left awake.

"Enjoying your book?" He asked while scooting over to her.

"Very much so." She replied without looking up from her page.

"You know if you fancied a swim it would be safe to do so now, they all seem fast asleep." He remarked.

"and why would that make any difference?" she asked while still refusing to look up.

"Because they wouldn't see you in your undergarments." He stated.

She looked up from her book to see him grinning.

"But you would." She pointed out.

"Well you've seen me topless, so it would only be fair for me to see you in such a state."

Sigyn knew Loki was only saying this to get a reaction from her, and she decided that she wouldn't disappoint him. She shut her book and met his gaze.

"If you are going to take up that argument then I must inform you that were I to take a swim in naught but my undergarments, you would be forced to remove your trousers for me."

Loki looked startled for a second, but his cool manners took over again quickly.

"I am afraid I don't see the line of your reasoning." He admitted.

"I have only seen you shirtless therefore, under your argument, you should only be allowed to see me shirtless."

Sigyn could see recognition light up Loki's green eyes, and he gave her a wicked smile.

"And if I offered to remove my trousers?" He queried.

Sigyn rolled her eyes and reopened her book. Loki gave a huff of disappointment.

"Come now, do you not know how to swim? Is that why you are being so stubborn?" He inquired.

"I know perfectly well how to swim, I just have no desire to do so." She informed him.

"Well then, will you at least desist reading for a while and speak with me?" He whined.

Sigyn smiled.

"Very well," She began while handing him the open book, "you can read to me."

Loki took the proffered book and she scooted so that they were sitting shoulder to shoulder. Loki began to read aloud and Sigyn's eyes flitted across the words as he spoke. His natural tone was soothing, almost enchanting. The sun, which was slowly making its way to the horizon, bathed the group in warm light and Sigyn soon felt the warmth lulling her to sleep. She wasn't sure when she finally drifted off, but she was awoken by Loki just before the sun dipped over the edge of the hills that surrounded them. It was growing late, and they all needed to return home for their dinner. Not once did Loki tease her for falling asleep on his shoulder, and for that Sigyn was grateful.

The summer months drifted off much in the same way. Thor, Loki, Sif, the Warriors Three, and Sigyn would go on weekly rides to the lake, and Sigyn was beginning to feel more a part of the group with each trip. She was slowly earning the trust of Sif, and she began to sense that the time for Loki's prank was approaching. Though no one understood why Sigyn always refused to swim with them, they respected her decision not to. It wouldn't be till their final visit to the lake that summer that they would discover the reason behind her reluctance.


	15. Iounn

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Just a friendly note letting you know that I probably won't be updating for about a week. I am getting to go home for Christmas so my attentions will be on my family. I still love you all though so never fear, I shall be back! **Snow White Queen** I love reading your reviews regardless of their length! Hey Sigyn managed to get to Loki for a second, that is longer than many people can boast! ** A Nice Person** I also really enjoy Loki's mischievous side. It really allows you to feel for him when those angsty moments hit because you are reminded that he is not naturally a brooding type personality. There are more pranks on the way, but maybe not all of them end up like they are supposed to.

* * *

Loki took in a deep gulp of air as he broke the surface of the water. Thor never ceased to be amused with pulling him under in a sneak attack. Loki had managed to wriggle free pretty quickly this time and swim to safety. Thor came up right after Loki, his growing hair falling in his face.

"You're tough to keep hold of!" Thor pronounced with a laugh.

"Not all of us can fight our way out, some of us have to learn how not to get caught in the first place." Loki pointed out.

"Tell me Loki, you know Sigyn the best, why does she always read while we swim?" Fandral asked.

"She just prefers not to swim." Loki replied.

"Does she not know how to swim? If not, I would be more than willing to teach her." Fandral stated.

The jealousy that only Sigyn seemed to ignite in him rose up yet again.

"She knows perfectly well how to swim." He snapped.

"Someone's touchy…" Sif remarked.

"Do you have a claim on her that I should know about?" Fandral asked while wiggling his eyebrow in an annoying fashion.

"None whatsoever." Loki replied perhaps a little too quickly.

"Well then you won't mind having a little fun with her." Sif remarked unexpectedly.

"Depending on the fun." He replied a bit out of sorts.

"Sigyn really shouldn't miss out on all the excitement we are having, but since we can't convince her to join us maybe we can just throw her in." Sif suggested.

Thor and the Warrior's Three quickly agreed that Sif's idea would be fun, but something in the back of Loki's mind was nagging at him not to go along with it. Regardless of his reservations, Loki was chosen to distract Sigyn so that Thor could sneak up behind her and pick her up. Loki pointed out that Thor would have a difficult time sneaking up on Sigyn, and suggested that he just come speak with her under the pretense of needing a snack. Loki knew Sigyn kept apples in her saddlebag for Roan, but that she would give one to Thor if he asked for it. Thor would be able to snatch her when she stood up to go over to Roan. The brothers made their way to Sigyn, and she looked up from her book.

"Do you still have any apples, or have you given them all to Roan?" Loki asked as they approached.

Sigyn smiled.

"I still have a couple, why?"

Thor gave her a sheepish grin.

"I am a bit hungry…" he explained.

Sigyn laughed at the elder Prince's proclamation and closed her book.

"Let me fetch one for you." She offered.

She set the book down next to her and stood to go fetch the fruit. Thor swiftly wrapped his arm around her waist and swept her off of her feet. Loki smirked as Sigyn began to protest, but there was no way for her to wriggle out of Thor's grasp. He was far too strong for her to overpower. Once he was at the edge of the lake, Thor leapt into the air with Sigyn clutching wildly to him. Loki sauntered up to the edge of the water laughing along with Sif and the Warriors Three as Thor and Sigyn disappeared into the lake. He tapped his foot impatiently waiting for his brother and Sigyn to resurface again, and he imagined the scolding he would receive the moment her head broke the surface of the water. His amusement soon turned to worry however, when neither of them came up for air. Sensing trouble, Loki dove into the lake. He opened his eyes underwater to see what had become of Thor and Sigyn, but it was far too murky to see anything. He resurfaced quickly and noticed that Sif and the Warriors Three were beginning to look panicked as well. Moments later Thor and Sigyn resurfaced. Thor was holding his jaw as if someone had struck it and Sigyn swam as quickly as possible to the edge of the lake. She pulled herself out and buried her head into the grass. Her shoulders began to shudder as her body quivered uncontrollably. Loki was the first one to reach the shore, and he placed his hands on her shoulders to try to calm her. She was sobbing violently and clutching at the grass with her hands. The rest of the group threw Loki confused and worried looks hoping he could answer their unspoken question, but he had no idea what was wrong.

"Sigyn… Sigyn, its ok… what's the matter…Sigyn?"

She began mumbling something over and over between the sobs that Loki could barely make out.

"It's my fault…"

Loki tried to pull Sigyn up so he could hear her better, but she merely clutched his arm and buried her head into his bicep.

"What's your fault?" Loki asked gently as he began to brush her wet hair off her face.

"Iounn…"

She continued to mutter the name, and her body began to shake once more.

"Who is Iounn?" He asked softly.

"My sister." She whispered almost inaudibly.

"Sigyn, your sister's name is Frida." Loki reminded her.

"Loki."

Loki looked up to Thor who had spoken. The look on Thor's face spoke a sadness that Loki didn't understand.

"Iounn _was_ her sister." Thor explained.

Loki's heart sunk into his stomach. He had never spoken to Sigyn about her siblings that had passed away. He had never known any of them personally, and it wasn't a topic he thought Sigyn would enjoy discussing. Loki was able to pry Sigyn off of his arm, and pulled her into his chest. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and her tears mixed with the lake water that was still dripping from him.

"What happened?" He asked.

"She died." She managed to reply.

"How?" He pressed.

Sigyn shook her head 'no,' but Loki wasn't about to let the topic go.

"Sigyn you can tell me. I know you may not want to talk about it, but it will help you. Trust me…" It was as close to begging as he had ever come.

Sigyn didn't say anything at first, but her voice was almost imperceptible when she did begin her story.

"We were so stupid… I had wanted to go swimming, but mother said that we couldn't go by ourselves that late at night. She and father were to dine with a neighbor that evening so she promised to take us the next morning. I begged and begged Frida to take us anyway, and she finally agreed that we would sneak out after the maid had seen us to bed. We thought it was so exciting, slipping away from the house under the cover of darkness… everything began so innocently. We splashed about merrily for a time, but then Frida began to tease me that I couldn't swim as deeply as she or Iounn could. I was determined to prove her wrong so I dove under the water resolute on reaching the bottom of the lake if I could. It was pitch black so I couldn't see anything, and there was something about the lake that we didn't know. Though not the deepest lake in the area, it is one people tend to avoid because of the thick Hydrilla at its bottom. I discovered this fact when it was too late. I had reached the bottom of the lake, but I got entangled in the plants. The more I struggled the more it seemed to grab hold. I don't know when Frida and Iouun dove down to try and find me, but it was Iounn who eventually did. She was somehow able to untangle me from the stuff and sent me swimming to the surface. When I reached the top Frida pulled me to the shore where I started coughing up water. She kept waiting for Iounn to come up as well, but she never did. Frida began to frantically search the depths for her without any success. She continued looking for at least fifteen minutes while I stumbled back home to get help. My parents, the neighbors, and the servants came to the lake as quickly as possible. When we reached it Frida was still trying to find Iounn. She was exhausted from her search, but she refused to give up. My father had to drag her out of the lake kicking and screaming. By this point we knew that there was no way Iounn could have survived being submerged for so long. The men searched the lake for her body, and they were able to retrieve it around dawn. Both Frida and I were there when it was brought to the surface… 'It was an accident…' 'There was nothing you could have done…' that's what everyone kept telling me, but I knew better. It was my fault. If I hadn't begged Frida to take us to the lake against mother's wishes, if I hadn't been so determined that I could do everything my older sisters could do, if I hadn't been so stupid as to get caught up in the Hydrilla… that is how she died… Iounn had gotten hopelessly caught in the damned plant while trying to free me from it. I killed her… she died because of me…"

Silence reigned after Sigyn finished speaking. She had stopped crying, but she still clutched to Loki as if the lake would try to pull her in again if she let go. There was visible guilt etched on the faces of Thor and his friends, and Loki knew that it was mirrored on his as well. Sigyn didn't swim not because she couldn't, but because it scared her.

"Sigyn, believe me, if I had known I never would have let them throw you in." Loki supplicated.

Sigyn nodded her head against him in understanding, but that wasn't enough for Loki. He needed to hear it from her mouth that she believed him. Her breathing was reaching a steady pace so he dared to lift her chin up. While her face turned upwards, her eyes stayed glued to his shoulder.

"Sigyn look at me…please."

The 'please' brought her eyes up to meet his, and Loki almost gasped in awe of their color. Normally Sigyn's eyes were a blue-green shade, but all her tears had caused them to turn almost teal. Loki put aside his momentary wonderment to address the problem at hand.

"I truly would never play a trick on you if I knew that it would cause you such pain." He reiterated.

Sigyn gave him a weak smile. She must have sensed his need for a verbal response because this time she graced him with one.

"I know."

"Perhaps we should head back to the palace early and take supper there." Thor offered.

Loki looked down to Sigyn in deference, and she nodded. She released her hold on him so she could stand up, and everyone headed back to their mounts. Loki was relieved that Sigyn looked a little more like herself once she had mounted Roan, though he could sense that she was still shaken despite her calm exterior. The ride to the palace was quick and Frigga was there to greet them when they left the stables.

"You all are back early." She noted.

"We weren't expecting you to be waiting on us." Thor replied while going in to hug his mother.

Frigga smiled, but stopped Thor before he could wrap his arms around her.

"You smell like lake water darling, your affection can wait till after you've taken a bath." She noted.

Thor smiled mischievously, but knew better than to go against his mother.

"I saw you ride in and I thought I would see what brought you home so early." She explained once she was sure Thor was not going to hug her.

"We decided that we would prefer to take supper here in the palace." Loki explained.

"Not dressed like that you won't." Frigga replied while raising her eyebrow disapprovingly. "You and the boys go bathe in you and Thor's bath chambers, the girls can use mine."

Loki and the others bowed to the Queen. He and Thor led the way to their chambers, while Sif and Sigyn followed his mother.

"Well that was an exciting day." Fandral commented once the women were long out of ear reach.

Loki scowled. "You say that as if it were a good thing."

"Not at all," Fandral argued, "I am just stating it as a fact."

"Why didn't you warn us about Sigyn's sister?" Volstagg asked Loki.

Volstagg's remark caused Loki's blood to boil. Of course all of this would be considered his fault. How quickly they forgot that the entire idea had been Sif's, and that he had been loathe to take part in it from the start. It was Thor that came to his defense however.

"There was no way Loki could have known. It was a well-known fact that Iounn's death had been an accident, but even I didn't know that she had drowned." Thor pointed out.

Thor's defense cooled Loki's anger a little, and he was finally able to ask the question that was burning on his tongue.

"What happened? Why were you and Sigyn underwater for so long?"

Thor explained that once they were underwater Sigyn's protesting had turned to panic. She had begun to lash out against him. He had thought it odd at the time, but after hearing how she had almost drowned by getting caught in the Hydrilla Thor assumed that her reaction was from being constrained by him. He had swum to the surface with her in tow as fast as possible; it just hadn't been very fast because of her constant battling against him. It would have been more prudent for Thor to let her go so she could swim to the surface by herself, and eventually he did when she accidentally struck him across the jaw.

Never in his short friendship with Sigyn had Loki imagined her as someone who could be frightened to tears, but it just went to show that her playful exterior hid a girl who was truly in pain. She hid her scars with a smile.


	16. Magic

Author's Note: I am back! Warning! Warning! Warning! This chapter is super fluffy even for me… You have been warned. As always, helpful comments are welcome (You guys have been great about that though so keep it up!) Anyway Happy Belated Christmas! The only gift I can really give you is my gratitude for reading this story AND two chapters instead of one! Yay! (I bet you all are more excited about the chapters than my gratitude, alas the materialistic view of today's society… just kidding… kind of.) Snow White Queen, I am actually glad that you had a pretty good idea of why Sigyn didn't want to swim because it means you were really paying attention. I always try to leave clues that will A) give you some insight into a character's reasoning even if it is not explicitly stated or B) set up things that are going to take place. Very rarely will I throw something in out of the blue. You are completely correct that Sigyn is hardly a proficient liar. She can tease and mislead, but outright lying is not her forte. She would be more likely to lead you around in circles to throw you off-kilter. Loki's presence was extremely important to Sigyn in her panicked state. I feel that while still obviously youthful in his response to the situation, Loki is the only one mature enough to go to her aid. The others just freeze when they are most needed. As we have seen, Loki is protective to the point of possessiveness and he will do just about anything to safeguard what he believes to be his. It is also probably not often that others look to him for comfort or protection, so Sigyn choosing to cling to him was probably a bit of a shock to him. All in all I think Thor would take up for Loki when others accuse him wrongly, I think his main issue is that he is so caught up in his own world that he is oblivious to when Loki is actually being accused. It is certainly an interesting dynamic in their relationship.

* * *

Asgardian Falls were beautiful in Sigyn's opinion. She loved the heat of summer, but the cool weather was tolerable and Roan seemed to prefer it when they went riding. It was on one of these beautiful days that Sigyn and Loki found themselves reading in one of the many garden's of the palace. Thor and the others were off fighting in some battle or another. Loki was not among them since he was still recovering from a nasty wound he had received from their last skirmish. Sigyn found herself wishing that she had pulled her hair back since the breeze kept blowing it in her face while she attempted to read. She caught Loki smirking at her as she tried to tame her wild mane for the hundredth time.

"Having trouble My Lady?"

Loki only ever called her 'My Lady' when he was teasing her.

"A little." She conceded.

"Shall we go inside?" He asked while closing his book.

"And waste such a beautiful day? No… but perhaps we could find another way of occupying ourselves." She suggested.

Loki stood and offered her his hand.

"How about we go for a turn about the gardens?" He proposed.

Sigyn quickly agreed and reached up to take his hand. The thought of actually pulling Loki down to the ground crossed her mind, but then she caught sight of the bandage that she knew was wound tightly around his bicep, right shoulder, and upper torso peeking out the top of his tunic and thought the better of it. Loki was thoughtful enough to measure his strides as they walked so that Sigyn didn't have to scamper to keep up with him.

"I've been thinking about our little plan, and I believe I have it all worked out." Sigyn mentioned.

Loki looked down and grinned. "It is about time."

Sigyn frowned at him. "It takes time to gain people's trust."

"That's not my strong point." Loki reminded her.

"I know that's why you need me, remember?"

Loki looked ahead, but Sigyn couldn't mistake the amusement in his voice when he next spoke.

"Of course, please continue."

"Do you remember how at the last banquet Sif mentioned liking Frida's new hairstyle?" Sigyn asked.

"No." Loki replied honestly.

Sigyn rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't, well she did, and that's when it hit me. All we need to do is give Sif a haircut."

"A haircut?" Loki asked skeptically.

"Yes, a haircut. I'll work out the when and where, all I need from you is a pair of enchanted scissors."

Loki laughed. "This may be the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard. If it was anyone else suggesting it I would have to question if it would actually work."

"But I am not 'anyone else' am I?" Sigyn remarked while smirking.

"No, you are not." Loki confirmed. "I can get you the scissors, but I still have no idea how you plan on managing to cut her hair."

"Simple, I plan on her asking me to."

She could tell Loki was curious, but she had no intention of disclosing her full plan, which she had already began to put into motion.

"Very well, keep your secrets. I will be working on a backup plan however, just in case yours should fail." Loki warned.

"An unnecessary precaution, but if it eases your mind be my guest."

The two walked in silence for a short time, taking in the gardens. That was something Sigyn truly appreciated about Loki, he wasn't afraid of silence. It never made him feel uncomfortable like it would with so many other people Sigyn knew. On the contrary, he seemed to enjoy the quiet moments just as much as she did. They reached a section of the gardens that looked out over the city and stopped to admire the view for a short while.

"Loki…"

"Hm?"

"May I ask you something?"

"Always."

"This will seem silly, but would you mind showing me something…magical?"

Loki looked at her and smiled.

"The view isn't enough?"

"Loki."

"Alright, alright. What would you like to see me do?"

"I don't know. What _can_ you do?"

"I think the question is 'what _can't_ I do?'" He replied in her ear, now suddenly standing behind her.

She turned to face him excitedly.

"Do something else!" She implored.

Loki thought for a second then smiled.

"Would you like to see me create a double of myself?"

Sigyn nodded her head fervently.

"Can you guess which one is the real me?" A voice asked from behind Sigyn.

She looked over her shoulder to see a second Loki. She took a step back from the two Loki's and began to study them. They were identical in appearances, but the longer she looked at the one on her left the more she seemed to think its form wavered unnaturally. If her hunch was correct, there was one way she could know for certain. She approached the Loki on the right and quickly raised her hand to strike him. Before her hand could come into contact with his cheek however, Loki caught it in his left hand. The Loki on the left melted away and Sigyn grinned.

"Found you."

"I think that would count as cheating." Loki pointed out.

"Nonsense, it was a logical conclusion. I saw the one on the left waver and the thought crossed my mind that perhaps your double couldn't actually come into contact with people. I knew the real you would intercept my slap."

"I think you were just looking for an excuse to hit me again." Loki teased.

"Of course not! I would never strike a true Prince of Asgard, especially one that was so valiantly wounded in the defense of my home!" She teased in part.

"Ahhhh I see, well I shall look past your history of violence since you flatter me so eloquently." He replied.

He moved his hand so that it was clasping hers, and the sight seized his gaze. Sigyn's heart began to flutter at the thoughtfulness his eyes held. She bit her lip in anticipation as he looked back to her and smiled.

"You are a kind friend, Sigyn."

_"Friend?"_ Sigyn thought sadly.

She was pretty sure her disappointment was visible, but she recovered as quickly as she could.

"As are you Loki. You look tired though, perhaps I should leave you so you can rest." She offered.

Loki didn't look as though he wanted her to leave, but Sigyn could see the exhaustion in his eyes.

"Loki you need to heal, I shall return tomorrow if you desire it."

Loki nodded his head in surrender. He made a motion to lead her towards the stables, but Sigyn stopped him.

"I can find my own way Loki, you go straight to bed."

"Tomorrow then." Loki replied before kissing her hand in farewell.


	17. Sif's new haircut

Author's Note: Just a warning I do use the word 'damn' in this chapter. It is not often I will use language like that, so please bear with me on this one.

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Sigyn did visit Loki the next day so she was present at the palace when the warriors returned victoriously from battle. Loki ensured that she was invited to dine with them in celebration, though he was fairly certain Thor or Fandral would have invited her anyway, and she accepted the invitation graciously. She spent the evening by Loki's side, and she forced him to sit through several lengthy conversations with Sif. He couldn't help but notice that she would occasionally mention things concerning hair. At first she mentioned Frida's new haircut and how she was considering changing her own style slightly. She then asked Sif about how she chose to dress for battle, which led to a conversation about Sif's hair and how it must be difficult to keep out-of-the-way when she fought. Almost every conversation the two women had Sigyn could twist back to hair in some manner. When she couldn't make a reference to hair, Sigyn would play with or toss hers about. At one point in the evening she went so far as to instruct Loki to run his fingers through it the next time they talked to Sif. Loki complied with her strange request quite willingly, but did Sigyn really think she could subtly manipulate Sif into wanting to change her hairstyle? While Loki believed this subliminal tactic was bound to fail, he was forced to change his mind as the evening progressed. Sif began to play with her own hair, and would scan the room to study other Ladies and their hairstyles. Sigyn had managed to plant an idea in Sif's head and between the post-battle adrenaline and no small amount of alcohol, Sif caved in to Sigyn's suggestions.

"Its time for a change!" Sif declared out of nowhere.

"A change?" Sigyn asked a tad surprised.

"Yes, I must get my hair cut. It is far too impractical for a warrior to have such long hair!" She stated.

"Would you like me to cut it for you?" Sigyn offered nonchalantly.

Sif looked at Sigyn with her eyes wide.

"Could you?!"

"I cut Frida's, I don't see why yours should be any different." Sigyn pointed out.

Sif grabbed Sigyn's hands excitedly.

"Oh please do!"

Loki sighed. Sif was definitely drunk. He hadn't seen the proud warrior act this much like a little girl since…well ever.

"I shall do it for you sometime." Sigyn replied.

"Not sometime," Sif interjected, "now!"

"Now!?... but I have no scissors." Sigyn pointed out.

Sif looked drunkenly around the room and her gaze landed on Loki.

"Loki, go fetch us some scissors!" She commanded happily.

Normally Sif commanding him to do anything would have offended Loki, but at the moment he was too shocked that Sigyn's plan was actually going to work. There was no way in the Nine Realms that this should have worked. He conjured a pair of scissors, muttered the spell that would enchant them, and handed them over to Sigyn. Scissors now in hand, Sif pulled Sigyn off somewhere secluded so that she could get her hair cut in privacy. Loki did not have to sit alone long before Thor took a seat next to him.

"You missed out on an exciting battle, Loki! We could have used you out there." His brother declared.

Normally Thor would have grabbed Loki violently about the shoulders to give such a speech, but he fortunately refrained this time.

"You all seemed to manage fine without me." Loki pointed out.

"Yes, well we can't always rely on such good luck to get through." Thor noted.

"I am certain that you could fight half of these battles on your own and still victor unscathed." Loki commented.

"Not the last one." Thor stated while looking towards Loki's injured shoulder.

Loki fidgeted a little in his seat. He and Thor hadn't really discussed the nature of his injury, and Loki felt that now was certainly an odd time to bring it up.

"You would have done the same for me." He said while shrugging casually.

Thor smiled, and this time he did wrap his arm around Loki's shoulder.

"The same and more." He replied. "Now, where is Sigyn?"

"She and Sif have scampered off somewhere." Loki answered.

"I see, a little female bonding time. You know you better keep a close eye on her." Thor remarked.

"Why may I ask?"

"Fandral has taken an interest in her."

"Fandral takes interest in anyone that wears a dress." Loki countered.

"True enough, but that does not negate the fact that he will pursue her."

"He has every right to pursue her, I see no reason why I must monitor Sigyn's every move. She is perfectly capable of handling herself if she does not desire his advances, or have you so quickly forgotten her reaction to yours?"

"I am not likely to forget that any time soon, but it is not for her sake that I mention it."

"Then why do you bring it up?"

"For your sake. You may be able to hide your feelings from others, yourself even, but you cannot hide them from me. You care for Sigyn and I think she would have you if you were to ask, but if you are not careful you will lose her to another man."

"Have you been speaking to mother lately?" Loki asked while rolling his eyes.

"Of this? No. Why?"

"Because she seems determined to believe that Sigyn means more to me than merely a friend as well."

"Perhaps the problem is that you are determined to believe that she doesn't mean more." Thor mused.

Loki might have replied to this, but was spared the option to by the re-entry of Sif and Sigyn.

"I feel unburdened already!" Sif half-shouted before falling into giggles.

She went to hug Sigyn, but it looked as if she was falling over the poor girl more than anything. Sigyn obviously wasn't sure how to handle the drunken warrior so she just stood their half-hugging half-supporting Sif. Sif's cries of joy caught the attention of those still celebrating, but her newly transformed hair is what kept their attention. Loki smirked inwardly. Sif obviously hadn't seen her new hairdo yet, if she had she wouldn't be nearly so jovial. He had to give Sigyn some credit though; she had actually done a nice job of cutting Sif's hair. Sif spotted Thor and Loki and drug Sigyn over to join them before practically throwing herself into Thor's lap.

"How do you like my new hairdo? I think it is much more suitable for a warrior." She remarked.

Thor looked at Sif's now black hair cautiously.

"It is certainly different…" He remarked not disapprovingly.

The Warriors Three quickly made their way over to Loki, Thor, Sif, and Sigyn.

"Decided it was time for a change did you?" Fandral asked upon arrival.

"I did. Sigyn pointed out that my hair was impractical for a warrior."

"I could understand the length perhaps, but the color?" Volstagg queried.

"The color? What is wrong with the color?" Sif scoffed.

"Black is certainly an extreme. Not that it looks bad…"

"Black!?" Sif shouted in horror.

The Warriors Three all look at Sigyn. Fandral regarded her as though he was trying to hide an impressed look. Volstagg looked simply blown over, and Hogun, surprise surprise, looked less than amused. Only Thor looked to Loki. To her credit, Sigyn kept a mask of pure innocence despite the stares.

Sif jumped up from Thor's lap and went in search of a mirror. A few minutes later she stormed into the room looking as though she could murder Sigyn where she stood.

"How dare you!"

Sigyn held her ground unfazed, but it was Fandral who intercepted the fuming Lady Sif.

"Sif calm yourself. Sigyn doesn't know magic, she couldn't have changed your hair color." He pointed out.

Sif stopped in her tracks and thought over Fandral's point. Loki could see the realization of who the real culprit was dawn on her. She turned her angry gaze to Loki, and he was fairly certain she had every intention of killing him then and there.

"Ah! Injured." Loki noted aloud while pointing to his shoulder.

Sif stopped in her tracks yet again and began looking between him and Sigyn.

"You… you helped him, I know you did!" She determined while pointing an angry finger at Sigyn.

"At least it looks nice." Sigyn replied calmly neither denying nor confirming Sif's accusation.

Sif began to charge at Sigyn, but Sigyn simply smiled before stepping to the side and dodging Sif's grasp. She nimbly evaded the drunken Sif while skipping about the room. Loki and Fandral were outright laughing, Thor and Volstagg cracked a smile, and Hogun looked grim as ever. Fandral finally went to Sigyn's aid. He snagged her as she was running by and placed himself between her and Sif, and Loki found that he had suddenly lost the urge to laugh.

"Never fear My Lady, I shall defend you!" Fandral cried gallantly.

Sigyn let her head peek out from around Fandral's arm to watch Sif head their way. Thor managed to intercept Sif before she could reach the pair, and he held her tight despite her squirming.

"I think it is time to put you to bed My Lady. Do not worry about your hair, we shall have Loki change it back in the morning, though I think it looks lovely."

Thor's assurances calmed Sif somewhat, and she allowed Thor to lead her away from the celebration. Loki eyed Fandral as he turned to look down at Sigyn.

"I believe you are safe now My Lady." He noted with a charming smile.

Loki felt the bile rise in his throat at Fandral's ridiculous grin. He glanced at Sigyn expecting to see a similar look of disgust on her face, but he found her to be smiling. She was laughing with him! She kept one hand on his arm while she used the other one to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"All thanks to you, my brave warrior." She replied.

She was just teasing, wasn't she? Surely she was not being taken in by Fandral's pretty words and sickeningly charming smile. Loki shook his head to try to clear it. Why should he even care? As he had told Thor, his mother, and even Fandral he had no interest in Sigyn save as a friend… did he? Loki rose abruptly from his seat with no clear reason as to why he did so.

"Are you all right Loki? You look ill…" Sigyn noted as he stood there awkwardly.

"I'm fine!" He snapped at her, suddenly quite annoyed with the concerned look on her face.

"Easy Loki, she is only trying to watch out for you." Fandral defended.

"Of course, because that is her job as my mother." Loki huffed.

"Loki be fair, she does not have to be your mother to show concern for you." Volstagg supplicated hoping that the usually rational Loki would pull his act together and dispel the tension that was building in the room.

"And I don't have to be any more than her friend to show concern for her!" He spat.

Did he just say that out loud? Damn this argument didn't make sense any more. The Warriors Three sent confused glances at one another not knowing how to reply to that. Loki wasn't surprised by their bewilderment. He couldn't follow his own train of thought so he hardly expected them to be able to. Sigyn, on the other hand, just stared back at Loki with a wounded look in her eyes, but she said nothing.

"Now I think it is time I retire, or do I not have your permission?" He asked Sigyn mockingly.

"You hardly need it, but will you not walk me to the stables?"

"Have Fandral take you, I am sure he is qualified enough to protect you for so short a distance."

With that Loki stormed off without taking another glance at the group he was leaving behind. He successfully made it back to his chambers before the guilt started to creep in. Perhaps he had been too harsh with Sigyn? Either way it was too late to take it back now, and she probably deserved it… didn't she?


	18. Jealousy, a symptom of insecurity

Author's Note: My last post of 2013! Yes, I know some of you will read this after your New Year's Eve so it will technically be my first post of 2014, but it is still 2013 where I live. This chapter is a bit longer, as is this Author's Note! Just as a warning I use the word 'ass' 3 times in this chapter. It is being used as the old-fashioned insult of calling someone a donkey so forgive me. I also had someone message me a while back asking me why I respond to reviews in my updates versus using the Private Messaging Reply system, and I thought I should let you all know why. Sometimes people might write a question or observation in their review that other readers would like to know my response to, but might not feel comfortable asking me themselves. Placing my response in the chapters just saves them the trouble of having to PM me or ask themselves. That being said, I love receiving Private Messages so if anyone would prefer to leave comments that way I am amiable to that arrangement. Now that the housekeeping is taken care of… time to reply to reviews! **Reteka Hyuuga**… yep, that was most assuredly a face-palm moment. Navigating through puppy love is more difficult than one might think! **Snow White Queen** I am very glad that chapter 16 wasn't too fluffy! Fluffiness has its place, but I feel neither Loki nor Sigyn are ready for that yet! You will find that I apologize for things, like content, in advance (or try to make it sound worse than it really is) so that readers are not upset when they come across it. Yes, their scheme was very tame. This partnership is going to have to test the waters quite a bit to see where they stand. Haha Sif certainly needs to relax. Yet another hot head that needs to settle down (granted she will do so much sooner than Thor will!) This bunch does tend to be oblivious, and while it is likely that at least some of them will stay that way perhaps a few others will see to the heart of Loki's problems. Will Loki go slithering back? He certainly will have to overcome his pride to do it! Looking forward to your next review! ** A Nice Person** I thought Thor deserved to get a little punishment for throwing Sigyn in :) I am very happy you enjoyed the fluffy chapter. I have a couple more cute moments planned for them in the next few chapters, but fluff has never really been my strong suit. I am fairly certain Loki was just as shocked with his emotional outburst as we were, and I hope this next chapter provides you with just as much entertainment!

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Fandral had been kind enough to walk Sigyn to the stables, and spent the whole time trying to distract her from Loki's rude outburst.

"He is just wound up from being cooped inside. Once his wounds are healed and he is allowed some exercise he'll be back to his old self in no time!" He encouraged before bidding her farewell.

Despite Fandral's attempt at lifting her spirits, Sigyn knew that it was more than just a lack of exercise that was bothering Loki. She could see the internal battle he was fighting in his eyes, but the question she couldn't answer was what this battle was. His mood had shifted seemingly out of nowhere, and there was nothing that Sigyn could think of that would explain his indignation with her. The next morning she sat in front of her desk staring at a blank sheet of parchment. She had agreed to meet with Loki at the palace the afternoon before, but she was toying with the idea of sending him a message saying she would not be coming. She eventually pushed herself away from her desk and grabbed her cloak. Her curiosity to discover what Loki's problem was outweighed his slights from the evening before, so she would keep their meeting. She arrived at the library at the time that she and Loki had decided upon, but he was nowhere to be found. Annoyed, she pulled out a random book from the shelves and began to read. If Loki wasn't going to show up she was at least going to make the most of her trip to the library. She had gotten about halfway through the book when the doors to the library opened, revealing Loki. He probably hadn't expected Sigyn to still be there waiting for him, but he didn't show his surprise.

"I was starting to think you weren't going to come." She stated impassively.

"I was detained." Was the only excuse he gave.

He sat down across the table from her and leaned back in his chair.

"Shall we discuss last night?" He asked.

"Which part of last night? The part where I successfully pulled off your little prank or the part where you began to act like an ass?"

Sigyn hardly used such strong language seeing as it was unbecoming of a Lady, but Loki had hardly given her a choice. He never liked her to treat him as though he couldn't handle her true thoughts and feelings, and that was how she truly felt about his behavior.

"An ass?"

"Yes, your behavior last evening was both unbecoming and uncalled for."

"As was yours. I might have seemed an ass, but you acted like a wanton flirt!"

"A wanton flirt? How so?! Was it because I smiled and enjoyed myself with Fandral and the others?"

Loki made no reply, which was enough of a response for Sigyn.

"I was not aware that I am forbidden to be merry around anyone besides you."

She didn't even attempt to hide the cynicism of her words, but she supposed that was something she appreciated about Loki. He could handle her verbal jabs and return them with equal vigor.

"It was not your smiles or laughter that bothered me, but the way you were hanging onto Fandral!"

"Oh you mean how I had my hand on his arm? Yes, that was quite a coquettish thing to do wasn't it?"

Oh the sarcasm…

"Perhaps describing you as hanging onto him is a slight exaggeration, but not even you can deny that you seemed _very_ comfortable with him."

"He is my friend so yes, I would hope that I would be comfortable with him. You cannot get angry with me for having friends aside from yourself!" She argued.

Loki just continued giving her a sour look.

"What? Are you going to lock me up in a magical tower so that you can have me all to yourself?" She pressed.

"Maybe." He replied curtly.

Sigyn rolled her eyes.

"You're not very good at sharing are you?" She asked in an exasperated tone.

"No."

"You might be the 'god of lies,' but that certainly sounded like the truth to me."

Loki refused to look at Sigyn and she knew that he was still cross with her.

"So why did you refuse to walk me to the stables last night?" She asked.

"You had Fandral to protect you, you certainly didn't need me."

"It was not about protection Loki, it never has been, it was about spending some time alone with you!"

That got Loki's attention.

"Alone time with me?"

"Yes, do you really think that I always ask you to walk with me because I need someone to hold my hand through the dark?"

"Well I had thought that perhaps…" Loki shook his head instead of finishing his thought.

It looked as if he was replaying what she had just said in his head before he spoke again.

"You truly want to spend time alone with me?"

Sigyn gawked at the dark-haired teen in front of her. How could someone so observant be so oblivious? Was he truly so blind to her feelings towards him?

"Loki I spend most of my free time alone with you." She pointed out.

Loki didn't reply yet again, so Sigyn thought perhaps a change of subject would do them both some good.

"Why were you detained for so long?"

Loki gave a tired little smile.

"I may or may not have been receiving an earful from the AllFather and Queen over my alleged prank on Sif."

Sigyn smiled.

"I see, and I assume you were forced to change her hair color back?"

"I was certainly forced to try."

"To try?"

"I was much more successful at creating the spell that turned her hair black than I was at creating one that could reverse its effects. Not even my mother could get it to change back." Loki answered.

"So her hair will remain black!?"

"For the foreseeable future."

Sigyn felt a little guilty for wanting to laugh, but she couldn't help herself. Sif was going to be furious with her. She would never be able to prove that Sigyn was directly involved with Loki's prank, but Sif was smart enough to know that she was. As much as she would have loved to stay and chat with Loki longer about their successful venture and his subsequent scolding, it was growing late and she was expected home. Now that she was satisfied that Loki's ill behavior had resulted from nothing more than jealousy she felt she could excuse herself politely.

"Well that is unfortunate for her, I hope she will learn how to cope with the change quickly. If you will forgive me, I must excuse myself for I am expected home." She excused before standing and walking to the library doors.

Loki turned around in his chair to watch as she made her way to the doors.

"Are you angry with me?" He inquired with his eyes slightly downcast.

"Exasperated? Yes. Angry? No, besides it was you who was angry with me."

Loki shot a glance out the window.

"It grows dark, would you allow me to escort you home?"

He was obviously trying to make up for his less than amicable behavior from the evening before so Sigyn wasn't about to shoot down his way of apologizing.

"Can you ride with your injury?" She checked.

"Not as quickly as you would prefer, but yes."

Sigyn gave him the "come on" signal with her head and the two of them went off to the stables. The conversation was a little strained at first, but the dark cloud that hung over their heads from the evening before dissipated soon enough. Loki asked her for the details of Sif's haircut and Sigyn asked him for the details of his chastisement as they rode towards her home. Upon their arrival Sigyn thanked the Prince for escorting her back, and bid him goodnight. Before he could ride back to the palace however, she made one final observation.

"I think I know why your mother dresses you in green, aside from bringing out your eyes of course…"

Loki decided to indulge her.

"Why?"

"Have you never heard the phrase green with envy?"

"So I am jealous because I wear green?"

"No, you wear green because you are jealous." She teased.

"So why do you always wear yellow?"

"It is called aureolin, and I don't always wear it!" Sigyn defended.

"It is yellow, and you wear it more often than not." Loki teased before turning his mount and heading home.

Sigyn returned Roan to the stables, and went to wash up before supper. After the meal, she spent the rest of the evening looking up the meaning of the color yellow. If your favorite color said something about you and her favorite color was yellow, what did it say? It was a ridiculous notion, but it occupied her thoughts for several days. She didn't see Loki the next few days so she was forced to ponder that thought alone, though Frida did indulge her musings on it when she was not spending time with Markus. When she finally received a letter from Loki requesting that she come visit at her soonest convenience, Sigyn was all too ready to comply. On the day of her visit Loki was ready and waiting to greet her at the stables.

"I am afraid Thor has asked that I join him, Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three in a little training before we spend any time conversing. I will not stay long, but I can hardly refuse since the healers have suggested light exercise would be beneficial to my wounded arm."

"Go train with Thor, it will make him happy." Sigyn encouraged.

"Will you wait for me in the library?"

"No, I plan on going to watch."

Loki's cheeks took on a light shade of pink and Sigyn smiled. She wasn't sure if Loki was nervous or embarrassed by the prospect of her watching him train. In all honesty it was probably both. He tried to persuade her that her time would be better spent in the library as he walked with her to the training area, but Sigyn would hear none of it. She was genuinely curious about Loki's fighting abilities. Fandral and Volstagg waved as the two approached, Sif ignored them, and Hogun gave them a courteous nod of his head. Thor left his friends to greet Loki and Sigyn when they got closer.

"Good to see you have decided to come brother, and I see you brought a friend."

Thor took Sigyn into a hug before she could protest, and she was relieved that his body was merely warm from mild exertion and not sweaty, as she had expected it would be.

"Will you be joining us today?" Thor asked Sigyn as he pulled back.

"No, I merely thought I would observe. I fear I do not have the makings of a warrior."

"That's never stopped Loki." Sif interjected from behind Thor.

She sent both Loki and Sigyn a condescending look, and returned to what she had been previously doing. Thor chuckled at her remark believing it only to be a jest, but Sigyn sensed that Loki was livid. She had half a mind to give Sif some biting comment in return, but she knew that having a girl interceding on his behalf would only make Loki look weak in front of his warrior friends. Loki responded by gritting his teeth and leading Sigyn over to an area where she could observe their training comfortably. It was a fascinating thing to watch. Thor was truly remarkable in his skills. He was quicker and more flexible than Sigyn would have guessed by simply looking at him. His greatest asset however was his raw power. Loki's training was being highly regulated because of his injury so there were several drills he had to sit out entirely, but Sigyn could still admire his lithe and almost graceful fighting style. His motions were smooth and precise, and he had an innate strength all his own. He also had a high level of agility that only Sif could match. Despite his inherent strengths, Sigyn could see that he was practically laughed off by his companions. There was a certain discouraged look that his green eyes held, so at the first small break they were given Sigyn made her way over to Loki. She had no intention of giving him some speech to make him feel better about himself since that would likely only bring more scorn from those witnessing it. Instead, Sigyn had a more practical plan to help him. He was throwing daggers into a target with his uninjured arm so she approached him carefully.

"You have good aim." She remarked as Loki launched a dagger into the heart of the target.

"I have a lot of practice." He replied in between throws.

She went to his side and studied the target with him after he threw his last dagger.

"Teach me!" She requested.

"Teach you?" He asked quizzically.

"Yes, teach me how to throw a dagger."

Loki smiled and his eyes lit up a little.

"You truly want me to teach you?"

Sigyn nodded and Loki went to retrieve the daggers lodged in the target. When he returned, he helped to position Sigyn in the correct stance to throw. He stepped back to take a good look at her stance before he gently placed a single dagger in her hand. He guided her hands and arms through the appropriate motions over and over till he felt that she had the basic grasp of it. He explained everything to her calmly and clearly, as a good teacher should. After a few minutes of pantomiming the action of throwing a dagger, he finally allowed her to actually try it without him physically walking her through it. Her first throw missed the target entirely and she looked to Loki with an embarrassed flush on her cheeks. Loki smiled, but he didn't laugh at her sad attempt though he could have easily done so. Instead, he made a simple adjustment to her throwing motion and had her try it again. Her dagger flew by the target once again, but it was closer to landing than the first one had been. The process continued for several minutes. Sigyn would miss and Loki would kindly correct her. She was getting more and more frustrated with each failed attempt, and Loki must have noticed it because he walked up behind Sigyn and molded his stance around hers.

"Try once more. I won't guide your motions, but I will tell you when to release the dagger." He whispered into her ear.

Sigyn took a deep breath as he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze to signal that she could make her throw. Sigyn tried not to hold her breath as she drew her arm back.

"Now." He whispered in her ear part way through her throwing motion.

A flicker of doubt flitted across Sigyn's mind, and she hesitated. Surely he was telling her to release the dagger too soon? Despite her momentary doubt, Sigyn let her dagger fly. She fought the urge to cover her eyes in humiliation, and almost fell over in surprise when it hit the target. Since she had delayed her release slightly it only landed in one of the outer rings, but the important thing was that it had landed. She clapped her hands excitedly and turned to look at Loki for approval.

"Not bad, now we just need to get you to the point where I don't have to tell you when to let go." He mentioned with a gleam in his eye.

Sigyn smiled, but was forced to return to her observation post as Loki and the others were called back to their training. As she watched the rest of Loki's session, she could see a marked difference in his behavior. He no longer seemed as defeated as he had been before. Sigyn was finally beginning to really understand the younger Prince of Asgard. He put on such a confident and self-assured air that he came off rather cocky and superior to others, but they were merely that: airs. In reality Loki was truly self-conscious. He hid his doubts about himself behind a façade of restrained emotions. If someone would simply acknowledge his strengths then perhaps his confidence would grow to match that of the airs he put on, and Sigyn had a feeling that she would have to be that someone. Sigyn was so intent on her thoughts and keeping an eye on Loki, that she didn't see Sif approach her.

"You should start distancing yourself from Loki while you still can." The female warrior stated coldly before taking a seat next to Sigyn.

"Shouldn't you be out there training with the others?" Sigyn replied, ignoring Sif's previous remark.

"It is a drill to test our balance, I can afford to sit it out." Sif determined.

Sigyn didn't doubt Sif's words so she chose not to respond.

"I know you were in on Loki's little scheme to ruin my hair, Sigyn." Sif stated.

Sigyn was smart enough to know not to incriminate herself, so when she refused to respond again Sif continued.

"It doesn't seem like something you would come up with, so I will lay the blame at Loki's feet. I am going to warn you to stay away from Prince Loki though. Trust me when I tell you that all he will bring you is trouble. Perhaps you see his pranks and deception as innocent fun now, but before you know it he will be dragging you into things far less savory. Mischief has always followed his footsteps, and someday that mischief is going to develop into chaos."

"Why this sudden concern for my well-being? I thought you were still furious with me?" Sigyn interjected.

"I may not appreciate the role you played in Loki's scheme, but it was I who came up with the idea of throwing you into the lake."

"I fail to see how these two things relate." Sigyn admitted.

"A wrong turn for a wrong turn is no way to live honorably. I feel that I at least owe you a fair warning of Loki's character before you cause yourself, or your family, any more grief."

"I thank you for your concern Lady Sif, but I am sure that I know Loki's true character better than you or any of his other _friends_."

With that Sif stood from her seat and strutted away. Loki passed the goddess on his way to join Sigyn.

"What did Sif say?" he asked when he reached her.

"That you were going to lead me into a life of debauchery." Sigyn remarked with a smile.

"Well she's probably right. You could still get out now if you wished." He replied with a matching smile.

"I fear I am too far down the road to turn back now. I am sure that you have cast some wicked spell to keep me forever at your side."

Loki folded his arms across his chest. "I have not, but now that you have mentioned it…"

Sigyn grabbed Loki by the hand and pulled him away from the training area and towards the library before he could finish that thought.


	19. Signs of affection

Author's Note: Happy New Year! I hope 2014 is a blessed year for all of you! Anyway, there is an Author's Note at the end of the chapter that I would appreciate very much if you read (I promise I wrote it for your benefit not mine). **Swim Until You Can't See Land** Thank you so much for your very complimentary review! I will be making references to the mythology, but expect me to twist it now and then. Yes, things seem to be going swimmingly between Sigyn and Loki now, but of course it would hardly be a good story if things stayed so smooth. I am very excited that you find the characters to be well-rounded and sympathetic! I have been really trying to achieve that! I hope you continue to enjoy the story. ** Snow White Queen** Does Loki really know how to change Sif's hair or was he telling the truth? Who knows. Either way, Sif's hair is going to be staying black :) Sigyn certainly sees herself with her envious dragon captor, I just hope Loki doesn't decide he really does want to lock her in a tower. Something tells me Sigyn would not appreciate that! Your closing had me giggling. I hope you also have a very successful and lucky 2014! I look forward to your reviews as always. ** Reteka Hyuuga **yes, it is tough to know which side to root for. They both have good points and not so good points. I couldn't resist a little dagger practice despite how cliché it is. I am a sucker for some clichés I suppose!

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"Who said I was free to leave training?" Loki jested as Sigyn drug him down the hall.

"Why else would you have come over to me?"

"To save you from the wrath of Sif?" He tried.

"Doubtful. Besides, you had trained long enough." Sigyn returned.

"So what topic do you wish to discuss today?" Loki asked.

"Poetry!"

"Poetry!?" He replied, crinkling his nose. "Truly?"

"Yes, poetry! For once I don't wish to discuss something that is merely practical." Sigyn said excitedly while looking over her shoulder at Loki.

His expression went from a smile to a surprised look and Sigyn turned her head to see what had caused the change in his expression. She didn't turn fast enough however, and crashed into the King and Queen of Asgard. Sigyn was smaller than the Royal couple so she merely bounced off of them and back into Loki. She quickly released Loki's hand realizing that Odin and Frigga probably wouldn't approve of their son, a Prince, being drug around the castle by a young woman. She clasped her hands behind her back as innocently as possible.

"Forgive me AllFather! My Queen! I was not paying attention as I turned the corner…"

Sigyn trailed off and bit her lip, not sure of what to say.

"It is certainly all right Sigyn." The AllFather assured.

He seemed amused that Sigyn thought she could cause him any harm by simply running into him.

"Would your mother approve of you running in a dress I wonder? It is hardly Lady-like." Frigga asked with a small smile.

"Probably not." Sigyn confessed. "I will be more careful in the future."

"Well I shan't tell if you do not." The Queen assured in the tone of a close confidant.

"So where are the two of you headed in such a hurry?" The AllFather inquired of Loki.

"The library." Loki responded.

"Should you not be training with Thor and the others?" Odin pressed.

Sigyn thought she saw Frigga squeeze Odin's arm in reproach, but the AllFather seemed to ignore it.

"We just came from there." Sigyn defended a tad too forcefully.

Sigyn's hand almost shot to her mouth in surprise. She couldn't believe that she had just interjected herself into a conversation that was clearly meant to stay between father and son. Odin looked down to Sigyn and raised an eyebrow at her.

"You did, did you?"

"Yes, AllFather." She replied while continuing to look him square in the eye.

The AllFather's blue eye pierced hers for a few silent moments, and Sigyn began to fear that he would throw her in the dungeon or something for her insolence. Instead he simply nodded his head.

"Very well, off with you two." He dismissed with a wave of his hand.

Loki placed one hand on Sigyn's waist and gently grabbed her by the arm with the other before leading her off to the library. Neither of them spoke until they were safely in the privacy of what had become their own special room.

"Loki…I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to speak to your father like that! I had no right to…"

Loki placed a finger over her lips to silence her.

"I've never heard anyone other than my mother speak to my father in such a manner before. Not only did you interject yourself into a conversation that did not concern you, but you refused to back down, as any sensible person would have done, when the AllFather turned his gaze upon you."

Sigyn unconsciously flinched at Loki's verbal scolding. He might as well have struck her for the dread she now felt.

"Loki I…"

"Shhhh. Why are you so frightened?"

"I just don't want you to be upset with me. I already know I made a mistake…"

"A mistake? You have certainly made one, but not the one you think. You mistake my words for anger instead of what they truly are."

"…and what are they?"

"Admiration."

Sigyn found herself speechless at Loki's statement. He chuckled softly at her dumbstruck attitude and pulled her over to the table to sit.

"I believe this is the first time I have ever rendered you utterly speechless." He noted while looking for a book on one of the shelves.

"I find it difficult to believe that you are not upset with me."

"Why would I be upset? You took up my side against the AllFather himself. Few in Odin's own council would have been brave enough to do that, let alone the daughter of a nobleman. If you want my honest take on the situation, I think the AllFather was slightly impressed with your nerve."

Loki finally found the tome he had been searching for and he brought it to the table. They spent several hours taking turns reading the poems to one another and explicating them. They finally came across a poem that Sigyn was all too familiar with.

"_Fidelity's Fault_, now this one I know." She sighed.

"Would you like to skip it then?"

"No, but you should read it." She encouraged.

Loki pulled the book closer than began to read.

"The Spring welcomes all with its scents of lavender,

But the sweet smell dies in the harsh of Winter.

A dog welcomes its master with a shout,

But the greeting is silenced by time.

A young maiden crowned with myrtle is welcomed by her lover with a kiss,

But as her crown fades so does her love.

The fault with Fidelity is that she claims to be faithful,

When the only thing truly faithful is Death."

"That sounds more akin to an epitaph than a poem." Loki noted when he finished reading.

"Well this 'epitaph' happens to be my favorite." Sigyn noted.

"That is rather morbid." Loki pointed out.

Sigyn sighed.

"I find it fascinating. Most poetry dredges on and on about unrealistic ideals of love, yet this poem dares to ponder a topic that is far less pleasing to our sensibilities."

Loki still looked doubtful in her poetic tastes so she continued with her explanation.

"You have never lost anyone near to you, have you?"

Loki shook his head 'no'.

"Then you cannot possibly understand my fascination with death for you have never had to confront it. To you, and many like you, this poem treats death simply as a tragic ending. I however, see the hope in it. Death is a promise that despite how differently we each have lived, we will all have to face death in the end. I find it comforting to know how my story ends for it takes out so much of the uncertainty that life holds. I can live my life day-to-day confident in the knowledge that though I will make mistakes, those mistakes cannot alter the final fate I must face. You may not believe me now, but one day death will not seem such an enemy, and on that day you will welcome it as a friend."

Loki pondered her words silently for a bit.

"You are an intriguing young woman Sigyn Halldordóttir."

"And is that good or a bad?" She pried.

"It is most assuredly a good thing." He replied.

He closed the book of poetry.

"Sigyn, I need to know something…"

He looked to Sigyn for permission to continue, and Sigyn gave a nod of her head.

"If you had affections for someone… say Fandral for example, you would tell me would you not?"

"Well I suppose it would depend on the someone, but sticking to your example…yes, I would tell you if I had affections for Fandral."

"But there are some you wouldn't admit to me?"

"A few."

"Like whom?"

"Thor."

"You wouldn't tell me if you had affections for my brother?"

"No, I would fear that you would think I was merely using you to get to him. Though you needn't fear, I have no feelings, aside from those natural to friendship, towards your brother." She assured.

Loki studied her for a moment, but he seemed to believe her so he continued his line of questioning.

"What of me?"

"Excuse me?"

"Would you admit it if you had feelings for me?"

Sigyn took a deep breath. She had to tread cautiously here.

"No, I would not. I would fear that such an admission of affections, if not reciprocated, would be detrimental to our friendship. I would not be willing to sacrifice so important a relationship for such a fleeting fancy. _If_ I was to have feelings for you however, I would show it in other ways."

"What ways?"

Sigyn shifted a little in her seat.

"Well it might be possible that I would tremble under your touch, or forget to breathe when you are near me. Maybe I would blush under your gaze, or perhaps I might…I might do this…"

She brought her hand up and Loki instinctively flinched. Instead of slapping the Prince as his subconscious must have told him she would, Sigyn placed her palm gently on his cheek. His skin felt cool under her touch, and Sigyn felt a shiver run through her body. She pulled her hand away in a flustered fashion and looked away from Loki even though she could still feel those emerald orbs boring into her.

"And what of you? Would you tell me if you had affections for a young lady?"

"Perhaps, but as you have already pointed out, it would depend on the young lady."

"So would you tell me if those affections were directed towards me?"

It was Loki's turn to think over his answer, and Sigyn could feel her stomach knot itself up in anticipation.

"No, but like you I would show it in my own subtle manner."

"How?" She asked breathlessly.

Loki stood from his seat and leaned over Sigyn.

"I would walk so close to you that our hands might just brush, or ghost my lips over your ear as I confide my darkest secrets to you. Though if I were to truly show you, it might look something like this…"

Loki rested his forehead on Sigyn's and their noses barely brushed. Her heart seemed to race, and she was certain that Loki could hear its frantic pattering. She tried to fight the urge to smile, laugh, and cry from frustration all at the same time. There was a pressure building in her chest that she was becoming less and less able to fight. He might as well have been torturing her with his close proximity. Without thinking, Sigyn bridged what little space existed between their lips, pressing hers softly and naïvely into his. The contact only lasted a moment before Sigyn pulled back. She rose from her chair and hastily put some space between herself and Loki.

"Forgive me My Prince, I do not know what came over me. I beg that you forgive my lack of judgment and give me your leave so I may return home."

The words spilled out of her mouth, and she was out the library doors before Loki had time to reply. She had never reached the stables in so short a time as she did that afternoon, and the journey home was as fast as she could urge Roan to go. The first place she headed when she reached the house was Frida's room. She knocked on her sister's door with urgency and practically threw the door open the moment Frida beckoned her to come in.

"I kissed Loki…" she stated before Frida could welcome her.

Frida stared at Sigyn with her eyes wide.

"You did what?" She cried, dropping her needlework onto her lap.

"I kissed Loki." Sigyn replied before throwing herself on Frida's bed and burying her face in the covers.

An unexpected laughter filled the air and Sigyn looked up to give Frida an annoyed look.

"It's not funny Frida!"

"On the contrary my dearest Sigyn, it is very funny. I wish I could have witnessed it. Watching you pull the Prince into a fervent kiss would have been quite the thing to see!"

"That is not how it happened!" Sigyn defended with a pout.

"Whatever you say Sigyn." Frida replied in a tone that said she didn't believe Sigyn. "So is he any good?"

"Good at what?"

"At kissing Sigyn, kissing."

"I don't know… I don't really have anyone to compare him too, and it was so quick that I wouldn't have had time to compare him even if I did."

Frida picked up her needlework again.

"How did he respond?" She pried.

"I don't know…"

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?"

"I didn't stay to see his reaction. I kissed him and ran."

Frida began to chuckle.

"Well what if he enjoyed it? Wouldn't he be disappointed that you didn't stay to finish what you started?"

"Frida!" Sigyn gasped.

"I'm not saying you had to sleep with him Sigyn, but a peck on the lips and nothing more? Why that was just cruel!"

Sigyn couldn't believe what Frida was saying.

"Frida I highly doubt Loki appreciated being kissed like that… maybe I should write him an apology…"

"You will do no such thing Sigyn! I mean I wouldn't suggest doing it again, but I highly doubt that Loki minded having you kiss him."

"Oh don't worry, it will not be happening again. I just hope that it doesn't make things, you know, awkward between us." Sigyn confessed.

"Trust me Sigyn, things will only be awkward if you allow them to be." Frida assured.

Deep down, Sigyn hoped Frida was right on all accounts.

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Author's Note: Well this is the first time I have used an Author's Note at the end of a chapter in a story that is still under progress. I just wanted to explain something regarding the chapter that I didn't want to address till you read it. I know some people use stories and poems inside their stories to hint at what is to come in their story, but that was not my purpose with the poem. Sigyn's fascination with the poem and its implications stems from the fact that in many ways Sigyn is more mature than Loki despite the fact that he is older than she is. Loki has grown up in a highly regulated and gilded world while Sigyn has experienced events and emotions that he has never had to deal with. I just wanted to address that before anyone started to panic.


	20. Making his claim

Author's Note: I think this is going to be one of the longer chapters I have posted. I had considered splitting it up into two parts, but since I know the chapter after this is going to be rather short I decided to leave it as it is. You all know what I obviously do not own so I am not going to bother specifying. (If you do wonder whether or not I own something just send me a message.) **Reteka Hyuuga **I am glad the last chapter made you smile (even if your family gave you strange looks!). I promise we will get some of Loki's opinions on the event in this chapter. **FreakyInker **I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed Chasing Infinity, and I am equally delighted that you are enjoying this story so far! Your compliment was truly flattering. I am a Jane Austin fan so to say that my writing is reminiscent of her's is truly one of the kindest things you could say! As for the cloaked figure… I would hate to ruin who they were, but yes, they will appear later in the story :) **Snow White Queen **their affection is soooo obvious, isn't it funny how sometimes it is the most obvious things that slip our notice? I am glad you enjoyed Sigyn's run-in with Odin and Frigga (hehehe see what I did there?). I imagine that Loki was reveling in the whole situation. Haha I had a feeling you weren't referencing Loki's gift of speech, but perhaps Loki isn't ready to go there yet? Yes, telling her older sister about her experience will earn Sigyn plenty of teasing, but lets face it, who could keep something like that secret for long? I had totally forgotten what I had labeled this story under… I honestly have no clue what I should have labeled it! Luckily, I can always change it if it looks as if Loki and Sigyn are pulling me in a different direction! **A Nice Person **aww thank you! Fluff truly isn't my strength, but hearing you say that I am doing well with it is very encouraging! Your "OH MY GOSH!" post is one of my favorite posts ever! I died laughing, I don't even care if it was an accident it made me happy! I am glad you enjoyed their trip to the library, and yes, we will be seeing how Loki is dealing with the aftermath of their first kiss. :)

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Loki leaned against the balcony with his back to the beautiful view of Asgard. Thor, Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three sat around the fire to talk, but Loki preferred the cool of the evening. He could still take part in the conversation from his position against the balustrade, but his mind was slightly distracted. It had been several days since Sigyn had kissed him in the library, and his lips still seemed to burn from the contact. He hadn't heard from her, and he hadn't had the courage to reach out to her himself. Loki had trouble comprehending how such a simple kiss had undone him in such a way. As long as he remained active he was fine, but in moments of stillness his mind would stray back to the feeling of Sigyn's hand on his cheek. In an effort to keep her out of the forefront of his mind he had spent all his free time practicing magic or training. Even Thor had mentioned how motivated he seemed during their sessions. Loki tilted his head back to look at the stars. Thinking about Sigyn was more interesting than what Thor and the others were talking about at the moment so he let his mind drift to her.

"The stars are beautiful this evening." Fandral remarked some time later.

Loki looked down to see the warrior standing next to him.

"Have you tired of the others conversation so soon?" Loki queried.

"Not as soon as you did, but yes. Currently they are discussing which is more useful: a single or double-bladed sword."

"That sounds like a topic you would be well versed in. I am surprised that it doesn't hold your interest." Loki commented.

"Yes, well since I know neither of them are superior to my _other_ sword…" Fandral trailed off with a smile.

Loki let out a chuckle in spite of himself. Despite their constant banter, Loki was fairly certain that was one jest he would not be sharing with Sigyn.

"It is a wonder you bed any decent women with the way you speak." Loki scolded.

"And with the way you speak it is a wonder you don't bed any." Fandral retorted.

"So Sigyn does not count as any?" Loki lied.

"Come now Loki, I am no fool. Despite what the others seem to think, I know you and Sigyn have not been together."

"What makes you so certain?" Loki inquired.

"You look upon her as if she is some forbidden fruit that you can't eat, yet desire to devour."

"That is romantic nonsense." Loki snapped.

Fandral began to chuckle. "Is it? Your defensiveness on the topic does not help your case Loki. Never have I seen the mere mention of someone throw you into such a tizzy. You are clearly frustrated with the situation, but the question is are you frustrated with her for trying to charm you, or yourself for slowly losing the ability to resist her?"

Loki opened his mouth to reply, and then quickly shut it. Why was he so emotional where Sigyn was involved? He had thought that his attraction to her had been purely a physical one that would fade as their friendship grew, but had that really been the case so far? Loki could see Fandral was smirking. Loki's hesitance to answer him was enough proof in Fandral's mind to confirm that he was right.

"You really only have two choices where Sigyn is concerned, Loki. Either you make your move, or you release this ambiguous claim you seem to have on her."

"Ambiguous claim?"

"For months you have refused to take her as your own, yet you still rebuff any other male that tries to get close to her. It is almost as if you are reserving your right to her without actually having the courage to stake your claim."

Courage? Was that why he was fighting this? Was a lack of courage responsible for why he was not allowing himself to accept the more intimate companionship Sigyn had been so willingly offering him? It certainly would take courage to pursue her. What if he had been reading Sigyn's signs incorrectly and she scorned his advances? The burning sensation returned to his lips, and Loki shook off his uncertainty. Sigyn had gone out on a limb to kiss him the way she had. She had taken the chance he seemed so unwilling to take, and he had given her nothing in return. Perhaps that was why he hadn't heard from her these past few days…

"I am going to give you a friendly warning, one gentleman to another, if you don't pursue Sigyn, I will." Fandral stated before slapping Loki on the shoulder and sauntering off to sit with the others once more.

Loki eyed Fandral for a few moments before he made up his mind. He had to see Sigyn, and soon. If he just had one more day with her he might be able to decide once and for all if the emotions he felt towards her were something lasting. He brusquely left the room without a word to Thor and the others, and made his way to his personal chambers. He penned a quick note to Sigyn and dispatched one of the palace servants to deliver it to her. He knew it was a bit late to be sending her a letter, but hopefully she would be up to receive it. If not, that would be fine. Tomorrow would be soon enough for a reply. He had invited her to go riding with him, and only him, at the end of the week. He waited up an hour or so for a response, but none came. He assumed that Sigyn must have been asleep when his note reached her, so he went to bed only slightly disappointed. Her response came right before breakfast the next morning, and Loki was glad to read that she accepted his invitation. The days passed normally, and on the morning they were to go out Sigyn arrived bright and early. They spent the entire morning out riding and returned to the palace only after they had taken lunch. To Loki's surprise, Thor and his friends were waiting for the pair when they reached the stables.

"Loki! Sigyn!" Thor greeted.

"Afternoon brother."

"Good afternoon Thor."

"I was beginning to think you two would be out the entire day." Thor stated.

"Would that have been a problem?" Loki asked.

"Not a problem, no, but I have been anxious to show you both something."

Loki scanned the faces of Lady Sif and the Warriors Three to try to determine what this something could be. They were all smiling or, in the case of Sif and Hogun, smirking. Their faces could hardly betray what Thor was so excited to share, so Loki decided that it was just best to ask Thor.

"Ok, what is it?"

Thor's blue eyes began to sparkle with excitement, but he didn't reply verbally. Instead, he held out his hand expectantly. Loki watched his brother intently, but nothing seemed to be happening. Thor's friends didn't seem to think anything was amiss so Loki held his tongue a moment more. It was Sigyn however, that heard the noise first.

"What is that whirring sound?" She asked aloud.

"I'm not sure…" Loki replied while looking around to see if he could spot the cause of the noise.

The whir became a whoosh, and something burst through one of the walls of the stables. Sif and the Warriors Three gave a little jump in surprise, and Loki pulled Sigyn in to shield her with his body from whatever had come flying through the wall. The horses in the stable were in a panic, and the stable boys were rushing about trying to calm them down again. Loki looked back to his brother to find him smiling and holding a hammer in his hand.

"Mjölnir…" Loki muttered.

"Mjölnir?" Sigyn asked in a confused voice.

"I didn't think father intended to entrust it to you so soon." Loki commented.

"Neither did I." Thor admitted.

Sigyn cleared her throat.

"Would someone care to explain why a hammer just flew through the wall?"

"The hammer is called Mjölnir," Loki began, "it is an enchanted weapon that has been kept inside the weapons vault for as long as I can remember. The AllFather promised it to Thor long ago, and it looks like he decided to make good on that promise."

Thor swung it a few times in his hand, which sent some of the nearby horses into a tizzy again. Sigyn quickly grabbed Thor's arm, and Loki's heart almost stopped as Mjölnir barely missed slamming into her head.

"I would not recommend swinging that in here, My Prince."

It was a nicely couched scolding, though Thor didn't realize that. He did stop swinging the hammer about though, and smiled.

"You are right Lady Sigyn. Perhaps you and Loki would like to join us? I was going to show Sif and the Warriors Three some of Mjölnir's tricks." Thor offered.

Loki didn't want to admit it, but he was actually a bit curious to see what Mjölnir's capabilities were.

Sigyn released Thor's arm.

"We would love to, though I think your stable boys could use my help at the moment…"

Loki looked around. Sigyn was right, the palace stable hands were a bit outmatched.

"Loki can go with you now, and I will join you in a little while. I need to at least ensure Roan is settled down." Sigyn pressed.

Thor agreed to Sigyn's idea, so Loki found himself walking to one of the training areas with his brother and his friends. Fandral quickly placed himself next to Loki.

"Perhaps this is just romantic nonsense, but did I see you shielding Lady Sigyn with your body?"

"Perhaps." Loki admitted grudgingly.

"And does that reflect on your final decision regarding Sigyn?" Fandral pried.

"I have yet to make my final decision regarding Sigyn."

"Well you better hasten your decision. Time is slipping away Loki."

The group reached a clear area where Thor would cause slightly less damage should something go wrong. Fandral lounged out upon the ground while Volstagg, Hogun, and Sif took a seat on some stairs. Loki found a guard rail to lean on and watched as Thor swung his new weapon about. Its high speeds could create fairly strong winds, which gave Loki an idea.

"Try swinging it above your head Thor." He yelled out to his brother.

"Above my head, why?" Thor asked.

"Trust me, just try it."

Thor shrugged his shoulders, but tried it anyway. Loki smirked as the momentum of Thor's swing began to cause his feet to lift off the ground ever so slightly. Surprised, Thor stopped swinging and landed rather clumsily back on the ground.

"Good call Loki." Fandral noted.

"I can fly?" Thor asked a little confused.

"I would hardly call it flying, but it is probably as close as you can come to it." Loki remarked.

Thor tried it again, and was able to lift off the ground even higher this time. The utter joy of this new realization shone in Thor's eyes, which caused Loki to smile. There were times when he would be willing to give anything to be so easily amused.

"How hard does it hit on impact?" Sif asked.

"I'm not sure. Would you like to find out?" Thor asked with a smile.

Sif smiled and nodded back.

Thor took a leap into the air and brought Mjölnir down on the ground. The shockwave of the impact was enough to throw Loki a little off-balance, but he knew that it would be nothing compared to the shockwave it would create when Thor grew stronger. The hammer left a small little crater and Volstagg whistled in awe.

"That is impressive." The rather large warrior commented.

"It is, but you haven't even seen the best thing yet." Thor remarked with a grin.

"Well stop with the suspense and show us then!" Fandral charged.

With that, Thor raised Mjölnir in the air and a crack of lightning split the clear afternoon sky. Loki flinched at the rather loud crack of thunder, and other people in the area reacted rather violently to the unexpected occurrence. If Thor merely swinging his hammer around had startled the horses, Loki couldn't imagine what the sudden clap of thunder on a clear day had done. The image of the stable hands sprinting about trying to calm down the frantic animals was slightly amusing to Loki till he remembered that Sigyn was there with them. There was no doubt that Sigyn was skilled with horses, but something told Loki that he should check on her anyways. He turned to leave, but he didn't manage to get away unnoticed.

"Loki! Where are you going?" Thor called out.

"To check on Sigyn. She should have joined us by now."

"Well hurry back brother."

Loki didn't hurry to the stables since he didn't think anything was actually wrong. The closer he drew the more he noticed the whinnying of the startled horses, but the sounds seemed to be under control. A young stable boy sprinting in Loki's direction was what first clued him into the trouble that had occurred. He stopped the boy before he could run past him.

"Where are you heading so urgently?" He asked not unkindly.

The boy looked annoyed to be stopped on his errand, but he bowed to the Prince anyways.

"To the healers. The strange lightening spooked the horses pretty badly. The Lady managed to calm Sleipnir, but one of the other horses bucked up and struck her in the head."

The Lady? Sigyn! Loki sent the boy sprinting to the healers and ran the rest of the distance to the stables. Loki could see the chaos in the stables as they came into view. There were people running about trying to relocate the horses from the stalls that had been destroyed from Thor's hammer crashing through them. Loki grabbed the first stable boy he could find and demanded to know where Sigyn was. The boy swiftly led him to where Sigyn was being watched by two other boys. She was lying on several bales of unused hay, and Loki assumed that the boys had moved her there.

"How is she?" He asked.

The boys jumped up and bowed awkwardly.

"I'm not sure Prince Loki. She took a fairly nasty blow to the head. We sent someone to fetch a healer." The elder of the two stable boys explained.

Loki nodded before kneeling where Sigyn lay. Her breathing looked normal enough, but it was tough to see where the wound on her head was in the dim of the stables.

"Has she woken since she was hit?"

"No, m'Lord." The same stable boy replied.

"I need to get her outside, I can't see the wound well enough in here." Loki determined.

Loki picked her up as gingerly as he could and carried her out of the stables. The two boys followed him out and watched as he laid her on the grass. Loki immediately noted that there was a steady stream of blood coming from a hidden wound on her head.

"Tell me precisely what happened." Loki commanded as he began to search for the injury.

"The Lady had been helpin us soothe the horses when you left. We had just gotten them calmed down when she saw Sleipnir. We had been taking him out of his stall to groom him when you and the Lady arrived from your ride. She asked if she could help, and we didn't see a problem with it since she had already proven to be good around the horses. He took to her right off and everything was fine till that thunder came out a nowhere. Sleipnir got a bit spooked, but the Lady got him calmed down soon enough. It was the other horse that we were groomin that bucked up and knocked her in the head."

Loki finally located the laceration, and focused his magic on trying to close the wound. Warmth radiated from his fingertips as the gash closed up under his touch. Her breathing still looked normal, but he was no healer so her lack of consciousness still bothered him.

"Loki!" Thor's booming voice called.

He and the others were running to where Loki was cradling Sigyn.

"We intercepted the boy running to get the healers and came right away. How is she?" The elder Prince asked.

"She's fine, I think." Loki replied.

He licked the pad of his thumb and began to rub the blood away from Sigyn's forehead. She began to stir under that soft motion and relief began to fill Loki. Her eyes fluttered open and met his with a hazy gaze.

"Loki?" She asked in confusion.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

"Like I was kicked in the head by a horse." She replied tartly.

She tried to sit up too quickly, and immediately fell back onto Loki's chest as the blood rushed to her head.

"I think I was able to heal the gash on your head, but the healers are on their way." Loki informed her.

"Thank you." Sigyn replied.

She closed her eyes, and Loki suddenly found himself wishing that she would open them again. A small part of him was concerned that she might lose consciousness a second time. He let her rest against him till the healers arrived, at which point they began to give her a cursory look over. They seemed impressed with his healing of the wound, and determined that she was going to be perfectly fine. They recommended that she take it easy the rest of the evening and Loki forced her to promise that she would.

"I am glad you are not seriously wounded." Loki stated as he helped Sigyn to slowly stand.

"Well I wouldn't say that. My pride has taken quite the blow." She lamented.

"You were kicked in the head by a horse My Lady, that is nothing to sneer at." Fandral pointed out.

"It could have been much worse." Volstagg added. "If it had kicked you in the temple it could have killed you."

Sigyn shrugged. "I suppose you are right."

Loki tilted her chin up so he could get a better view of her face. Her long hair was riddled with straw and a bit matted down with blood in several places, but that was the only physical evidence left from her accident. Loki needed Sigyn, there was no doubt about that in his mind any more, but seeing her unconscious form had made something very clear to him. Sigyn needed him too, and with this realization he made his final decision.

"You know, we never did finish that conversation the other day in the library."

Sigyn blushed.

"Really? I thought we had quite finished it." She replied.

"Well perhaps you had finished speaking your peace, but I was far from done." He returned.

Without giving Sigyn any warning he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. His kiss was just as soft as Sigyn's, but it lacked her naiveté. He pulled back slightly waiting to see if Sigyn would accept his advances.

"Is that truly all you have to say?" She whispered.

"Do you disapprove?" He asked a little fearfully.

"I suppose I was just expecting…more." She breathed.

Loki grinned as Sigyn's serious face finally betrayed the smirk she had been trying to hide. If Sigyn wanted more he would certainly give it to her, so he brought his lips to hers once again. She let her hands rest on his chest, and Loki thought the light contact would drive him mad. He assumed that everyone in the vicinity was gaping at them. Such public displays of intimate affection were not common in Asgardian culture, but Loki didn't care. He was going to make his claim on her where everyone could see. He could leave no doubt in anyone's mind as to whom Sigyn belonged.


	21. All good things come to those who work

Author's Note: Hello to everyone! This chapter is a bit shorter, but guess what… today is my birthday, so as a birthday gift from me to you I am posting two chapters instead of one! Yay! I hope you enjoy them! I own everyone who makes a physical appearance in this chapter. **Reteka Hyuuga **hahaha well you don't have to worry about fangirling or squealing in this chapter, but I make no promises for the next one! **The One and Only A Nice Person** welcome officially to Fanfiction! Prepare to waste away hours getting absolutely nothing done and loving it! (Sorry your usual name was already taken though!) First, might I say that your version of "Call Me Maybe" is far superior to the actual song. I laughed for a good five minutes at that. Next, I am so glad that you find the interactions between Loki and Sigyn to be emotionally realistic! With so many aspects of this world not being realistic I have really tried to at least make their thoughts and emotions believable/relatable. Nervous/worried Loki is so sweet. I think it reminds us how young emotionally he really is despite the fact that he is probably pushing 1000 years by this point (and psychology thinks Midgardian boys mature slowly…). **Swim Until You Can't See Land** knowing Fandral it is probably a little of both. I think he is trying to give Loki a little push, but I also think that if Loki doesn't act he will (he is too flirtatious not to). Loki definitely cares for Sigyn, but you are right, not all the layers of his affection are pure. He is still not mature enough to realize the problems that can arise with extreme possessiveness.

* * *

"So you managed not to run away after he kissed you?" Frida teased while weaving.

Sigyn smiled.

"I should never have told you that should I?" She asked while lounging carelessly in the window seat.

"Probably not, but since you did I intend to take full advantage of it!"

"and I thought your teasing about my 'slapping syndrome,' that is how you phrased it is it not?"

Frida nodded in affirmation, and Sigyn continued.

"Yes, well I thought that was bad enough."

"I warn you, there will never be a day when both of those things will not be amusing to me."

"Wonderful. I am glad I can bring you so much joy." Sigyn replied teasingly.

She had managed to go almost four weeks without telling Frida about Loki kissing her, but the excitement had finally been too much for her to conceal anymore. Frida had suspected something of the sort had occurred, but she didn't spoil Sigyn's fun by telling her so.

"So what exactly is your relationship, Sigyn?" Frida asked.

"I'm not sure." Sigyn admitted

"Well you aren't lovers since you've never slept together, and you aren't courting since he hasn't asked father for permission that I know of." Frida pointed out.

Sigyn began to twist a small section of hair around her finger.

"I know. Trust me, it hardly makes sense to me either. You should have seen it Frida, he kissed me in front of everyone without care. It was so unlike him to be that exposed emotionally in front of Thor and his friends."

"It sounds to me like he was trying to prove a point." Frida stated.

"A point? What point did he have to make?"

"That you belong to him."

Sigyn rolled her eyes.

"I don't _belong_ to anyone Frida."

"He is a Prince, Sigyn, of course you do."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it does. As long as he is a Prince he will always have some amount of power over you, and if you enter into a relationship with him he will have even more. Like it or not, men rule our society Sigyn."

"Don't try to tell Lady Sif that." Sigyn muttered.

"Lady Sif may fight alongside the men, but what power does she truly have? Will she be the one leading the troops in their charge? Does she hold any political sway? Would it be acceptable for her to pursue a young man in the same way it is considered acceptable for them to pursue her?"

Sigyn knew Frida was correct, but she hated to admit it.

"Well I believe it should be the people who are most qualified that should be given positions of power, regardless of their gender. I say that if Hogun is the most qualified to lead the troops into battle he should do it, but if Sif is the best suited for the job then she should be given the command." Sigyn argued.

"and I don't disagree with you Sigyn, but in a relationship someone must take the lead or else the relationship will stagnate and die."

"I don't think a relationship between Loki and I will 'stagnate and die' from a lack of someone taking leadership." Sigyn remarked.

"No, it will stagnate and die because you will both want to be the one leading it. The two of you will butt heads on every decision, so no decisions will ever be made."

Sigyn didn't reply, so Frida looked from her weaving to her sister.

"Listen Sigyn, none of this matters if you don't enter into a serious relationship with Prince Loki, and I am not saying that you should treat everything he says as law if you do. All I mean to say is that _should_ you pledge yourselves to on another let Loki lead, but do not think that just because he is the leader means you must be his servant. No, it will mean that you are his advisor, his helper. He will depend on you for your advice and support. You always speak of how fragile his confidence is, so can you imagine how much more self-assured he will feel if you willingly place your trust in him to lead your relationship? The fact that you _are_ so strong will make it all the more important to him. Besides, if he is a good leader then his natural desire and instinct will be to respect and serve _you_. To sacrificially serve those they lead is the mark of a good leader, and believe me, it will take sacrifice on both of your parts. You will have to learn to not be so stubborn, and he will have to learn to put someone else's interests before his own."

Sigyn sighed.

"From the way you speak you make it sound as if romantic relationships take a lot of work…"

"_All_ good relationships take work Sigyn, but I am fully confident in your ability to overcome the obstacles." Frida responded with a smile at her little sister.

Sigyn smiled back before looking out the window into the main courtyard. She watched the comings and goings of the servants for some time till a familiar figure made his way into the house.

"Frida…did either mother or father mention to you that Hallsteinn was to visit today?"

Frida quickly joined Sigyn at the window, and she was just in time to see their elder brother slip into the house.

"No, did they mention it to you?" Frida asked.

Sigyn shook her head 'no.'

"Well that is odd. Perhaps he has come to announce that Aldís is expecting another child."

"But they already have two!" Sigyn protested.

"And mother had six." Frida reminded her.

"Yes, but we are both aware that was an abnormality." Sigyn retorted.

"Well what other purpose could he have in coming here?"

Sigyn looked out into the courtyard again, and nearly fell off the window seat.

"To act as a witness…" she answered.

Frida looked quickly out of the window and gasped.

"Sigyn!" She cried out in excitement, while grabbing her sister's hand.

Sigyn beamed at her elder sister. The new arrivals had been none other than Markus, his father, his two brothers, and two of his closest friends. He had come to negotiate for Frida's hand in marriage. The two girls ran downstairs to watch the proceedings, and reached their father's private chambers just as the eight men retreated into them. Their mother stopped them before they could rush in behind the men.

"Let your father and brother handle this." Signy said with a smile.

Signy and Sigyn waited on a bench outside the doors while Frida paced back and forth. Sigyn watched her mother closely, and was delighted to see that she looked more like her old self again. Signy watched her eldest remaining daughter pacing about with a genuine smile. If the negotiations went well, which there was no reason why they should not, she would have a wedding to begin preparations for. Sigyn wasn't sure how long it normally took to negotiate a wedding contract, but she felt that the men made quick work of it.

"The contract has been arranged." Halldor announced happily as he opened the doors to his private chambers. "The Bride Price and Dowry are settled. Markus and Frida will be wed in a fortnight."

There was not a disappointed face among them as Frida went to first throw her arms around her father, and then went into the embrace of her groom-to-be.

_"A fortnight? Just fourteen days..."_ Sigyn thought a bit wistfully.

In fourteen days she would be the only child left at home. In fourteen days there would be no one to share the tales of her adventures with. In fourteen days she will have lost her closest friend and confidant aside from Loki. 


	22. Shadows

There was a knock on Loki's door, and Loki looked up from his book. It wasn't his mother or brother since he knew their knocks well enough, which meant it must be a servant.

"You are free to enter." He beckoned.

The door was opened to reveal a male servant that was not dressed in the attire of the palace servants. He swiftly bowed before stating his purpose.

"I bring a message from Lady Sigyn Halldordóttir, My Prince."

Loki rose and took the letter from the servant's extended hand.

"For your services." Loki stated while placing a coin in the letter's place.

The Servant bowed and left the room as swiftly as he had come. Loki closed the door to his chambers and sat back down at his desk. He broke the seal on the letter and smiled at Sigyn's scrawled handwriting. She had apparently been in a rush when she had written it.

_"Loki,_

_ I have news that I desire to share with someone, but I have no one that I can tell save you. Could you meet me an hour before nightfall in the spice market? I know that you are probably not allowed to wander outside the palace unescorted, but I also know that you have a fondness for not following the rules. I will wait for you in the alley on the East side of the main market square till ten, if you have not arrived by that time I will assume you are not coming. I hope to see you then._

_ Your comrade in arms,_

_ Sigyn." _

Loki folded the letter and placed it in the drawer where he kept the others. He was very interested in what Sigyn wished to share, and began making plans for his little trip to the market. Sigyn was correct in her assumption that he was not encouraged to venture outside the palace entirely alone, but she had also been correct in her assessment of his regard, or lack thereof, for the rules. Besides, it wasn't really a rule. He was plenty old enough to go about on his own, it was merely Frigga's motherly worry that caused her to beg Thor and him not to wander about the town by themselves. In reality, it was far more dangerous for Sigyn to wait in an alleyway by herself then it would be for him to go around announcing who he was to every cutthroat in the city. If his absence were noticed, he would merely excuse himself by saying that he could not allow a Lady of Sigyn's standing to risk being harmed while lingering in an alleyway after nightfall. In the back of his mind Loki wondered if that was the purpose behind her choice for the meeting time. Was she counting on his honor as a Prince to force him to meet her for her own safety, or was she just providing him with an excuse should he get caught? Either way, it seemed like something Sigyn would think of. He had an early dinner brought to his room and then passed the rest of the time by reading. A little over an hour before nightfall, Loki grabbed a heavy cloak out of his wardrobe and slipped over the side of his balcony. He navigated the palace grounds without being spotted though it took him longer than he had expected since he almost ran into a group of gossiping maids. Not surprisingly, he was the center of their gossip. News of Lady Sif's hair was still circulating through all the social circles. These particular maids thought that he must also have the power to change people's hair into snakes or something ridiculous like that. He was half-tempted to reveal himself and see if they would scurry away in fear for their hair. He contented himself with merely listening to their conversation however, till an older maid came and scolded them for their laziness. Once the coast was clear, Loki made the rest of the way to the city. He reached the spice market about forty minutes after nightfall and headed straight to the East alleyway. His hood was pulled up so his features were hidden to the last of the merchants that were packing up their carts to head home. Loki detected a small, cloaked figure lingering in the East alley, and though their back was to him he was certain that it was Sigyn. He accidentally kicked a small pebble as he entered the alleyway and the figure gave a small gasp and turned quickly to face him. Loki's eye barely caught the flash of a metallic object so he was just able to block the inexperienced strike from the girl. It was Sigyn all right, and her eyes were wide with horror at the realization of who she had just tried to knife.

"I am so sorry Loki! You are late… and you startled me, and… and I thought you were the person who was staring at me earlier!" Sigyn explained.

Loki looked at her with a serious gaze.

"There was someone staring at you earlier? Who?" He demanded.

Sigyn leaned so she could look around his larger form, and Loki turned so she could point them out.

"They're… they're gone…" she stated, obviously stunned. "They had been over there outside that shop since I arrived, and they were there not even ten minutes ago."

"What did they look like?" He inquired.

"I am not sure; they were heavily cloaked with their hood pulled low so I could not make out any of their features. The more I think on it though, the more I think that they must have been a woman. They were taller than me, but their cloak seemed like one a woman would wear…"

Sigyn's eyes were pleading with him to believe her, and he genuinely did. She seemed shaken by the ordeal, and it was no easy task to make Sigyn visibly quake. Still, she was hiding something from him. Loki could sense it.

"This is not the first time you've seen them, is it?" He asked.

Sigyn reluctantly shook her head 'no.'

She didn't seem ready to talk about it, so Loki made a mental note to ask her about it when she wasn't so jittery.

"So you are the one who purloined one of my throwing daggers." He scolded in an effort to redirect the conversation.

Sigyn tucked the dagger away while still trying to hide her nerves.

"I am shocked you are just now figuring this out." Sigyn replied.

"Stealing from a Prince is never a wise idea, My Lady. A thief would face the dungeons for stealing from a merchant or civilian, but the punishment for stealing from a member of the royal family is much more severe." He informed in mock seriousness.

"How so?" Sigyn inquired in what Loki hoped was mock fear.

"Because they face no court of law, but are subject to the punishment determined by the royal they stole from." He explained.

"And what punishment will you enact for my trespass?" She queried.

Loki gently pushed her back up against the wall and let one of his hands trail up and over her throat. He brushed his thumb over her neck, which caused Sigyn to shudder.

"I have several thoughts in mind, and you know how creative I can be…"

Sigyn didn't seem as intimidated as she should be with his tall frame looming over her, so he tried his luck with something he had never done before. He took both of Sigyn's wrists and pulled her hands away from their usual protective position on his chest. She had always kept them there when they kissed to keep a small amount of space between their bodies, but Loki felt that it was time to close the gap. That obstacle removed, Loki pressed his body flush against Sigyn, and she took in a shuddering breath. Loki was well aware that this was a new sensation to her since the only times their bodies had been this close had been when it happened on accident. Each time they had kissed since the day of Sigyn's mishap in the stables, Loki had pushed her boundaries a little further. He had started with small gestures, like lowering his hand to her waist. His most recent success was finally coaxing her to explore his mouth with her tongue. One thing stayed the same though, each time he pressed her a little farther, he gave her a moment to adjust to the new level of intimacy. This time was no different. Loki slowly led Sigyn's gloved hands to rest over his shoulders before carefully leaning his weight into her.

"This is not so terrible." Sigyn breathed in an effort to keep up the appearance of normalcy.

"I'm not through with you yet." Loki murmured into her ear.

Despite Sigyn's attempts to feign confidence, Loki could feel her heart pounding against his chest. He was tempted to place one of his hands over it, but he knew Sigyn wasn't ready for him to bring his hands anywhere near her bosom just yet. Instead, he leaned his head in for a kiss. Sigyn pulled Loki's hood off and moved her hands up to the back of his head as if to ensure that he wouldn't stop kissing her.

"You aren't supposed to be enjoying this." He teased once they finally pulled back for air.

"I do not enjoy the fact that you stopped." Sigyn reasoned.

"So why did you take my dagger may I ask?" Loki asked while catching his breath.

"I wanted to practice my throwing, and Hallsteinn merely laughed when I asked if I could borrow one of his."

"Ah, shame on him…" Loki replied before kissing her lips once more.

Sigyn placed a finger on his lips before he could seriously attack hers again

"I have news to share with you, and I cannot do so if you have my mouth otherwise preoccupied!" she reminded him.

"But I am not satisfied in your punishment." He whined.

"Then you shall be satisfied later." Sigyn assured.

"But how can I be certain you will keep to that promise. You have already proven a thief, what if you prove to be a liar as well?"

"I am your prisoner, My Prince, I will have no choice but to satisfy you. Besides, do you really believe that I could ever tell a lie that you would believe?"

"No, I can detect a lie as easily as I can spin one, but if you are my prisoner why am I allowing you to negotiate with me at all?" Loki pressed.

"Because you are a gracious and lenient jailer." Sigyn murmured while bringing his forehead to rest on hers.

Loki's resolve to try and talk her into a little more intimacy melted away as the look in her eyes spoke of the news she wished to tell. He sighed and moved away from her. He pulled his hood over his head once more and offered Sigyn his arm. The two walked down the fairly deserted streets to a nearby reflection pool and sat at its edge.

"So tell me, what news was so pressing that you summoned me to meet you at such an hour?"

"My sister, Frida, is betrothed. She is to be married in a fortnight."

Blunt as usual. Loki couldn't decide from Sigyn's tone of voice if this news was a good thing or a bad thing to her though.

"That is good news is it not?" He asked.

Sigyn quickly gave him a slightly embarrassed look.

"Oh yes, of course it is! Markus is a good man from a good family. I have no doubt that he will treat Frida very well."

"Yet you are still saddened by it." Loki noted.

"A little. Once Frida marries she will hardly have time to entertain me, and I will be the last of my siblings to be living at home…or simply living."

"Well that is not odd since you are the youngest. It should be expected that you would be the last one to leave your father's house." He pointed out.

"I know, but that knowledge doesn't make it any less lonely. Maybe one day when Thor marries you will understand."

"That is unlikely since neither of us will leave the palace permanently once we marry."

"You won't? Will it not be crowded to have your parents, Thor and his own family, and you and yours all in the same building?"

"You forget the palace is a large place. Once Thor and I get married we will be assigned a wing of the palace for our family's living quarters. When Odin passes away Thor and his family will take up the living quarters of the king, and I will be given the option to choose an estate away from the palace."

"Why should Thor take up the quarters of the king? Are you too not eligible to be your father's heir?"

"I am eligible, but I don't think it is any great secret that all of Asgard wishes to see Thor on the throne, including my father."

"I highly doubt you can speak on behalf of all of Asgard. I am sure there are those who would prefer to see you on the throne." Sigyn assured.

"and are you one of those few?" Loki inquired.

"No, but I confess it is for rather selfish reasons that I wish to see Thor on the throne." Sigyn admitted.

"Pray, do tell." Loki pressed slightly offended.

Sigyn stood and balanced on the lip of the reflection pool.

"Think about it. If you were king you would have no time to spend with me." She pointed out.

Loki reluctantly grinned. The reasoning made logical sense to her, though Loki doubted becoming king would mean he would have to abandon his friendship with Sigyn. He watched silently as she made her way around the lip of the pool. She would giggle every time she almost lost her balance, which brought a smile to Loki's features. Every so often she would glance back at him and smile, causing the moonlight to reflect off the pale skin of her face. When she finally made it all the way around the pool to Loki's opposite side she jumped down. Loki stood up next to her.

"So was the happy news of your sister's engagement the only thing you wished to discuss with me?"

"Yes."

Loki smirked.

"Very good, now we can get back to the discussion of your punishment."

He could sense that Sigyn was about to give him a little playful shove with her arm so he quickly switched places with a clone of himself. The push came as he expected, but Sigyn had a bit more momentum behind it then he had thought she would have. With a squeal she went tumbling through his double and into the reflection pool. Loki held in a laugh and swiftly rushed to help pull her out. It took a minute to get her out of the freezing water since her heavy cloak, dress, and layered petticoat had soaked in quite a bit of it. The cold night air mixed with the freezing water was causing Sigyn to shiver uncontrollably, so Loki pulled her to his chest and wrapped her in his cloak. He used both his body heat and magic to warm and dry the poor girl.

"I should have seen that coming…" she managed to say between little fits of shaking laughter.

"Probably." Loki agreed. "Perhaps that is enough punishment for your thievery."

Sigyn nodded and Loki chuckled. She was practically dry by this point, but he liked the feeling of having her pressed against him so he didn't release her from his arms. Sigyn didn't protest the embrace so Loki stood quietly, watching his breath take form in the crisp evening air. With the speed that the temperature was dropping it looked like Asgard would be in for an early snow this year. Sigyn eventually looked up at him and smiled blushingly.

"It is probably time for me to return home Loki, and I would hate for your absence from the palace to be noticed."

Loki reluctantly agreed and, despite Sigyn's protests, walked her to her home.

"With the preparations for your sister's wedding under way I assume that I will not be able to see you the next two weeks." Loki remarked.

"That will likely be the case." Sigyn replied.

"Then there is something I would ask you now. Will you do me the honor of allowing me to be your escort to the Winter Solstice Celebrations?"

Sigyn placed a kiss on his cheek.

"I assure you, the honor would be all mine." She answered before giving him a smile and turning to go into the house.

Loki stood in the courtyard for a few moments more before heading back to the palace. There were few people on the road so he made quick time back. He snuck through the palace gardens, and clambered up onto his balcony to get into his chambers. Once inside he took off his heavy cloak and went to go hang it up in his wardrobe.

"How is Sigyn?" His mother's voice asked.

Loki jumped in surprise and looked about the room to see where his mother was. He spotted her sitting in a chair by his fireplace, and relaxed.

"Her sister is engaged." He replied before hanging his cloak back in his wardrobe.

"You might have at least mentioned to me that you would be sneaking off this evening." Frigga scolded.

"Then it wouldn't really have counted as sneaking off, would it?" He returned.

"Your mischievous ways are going to be the death of me." She replied with a smile.

"Then at least you will die amused." He responded with a gleam in his eye.

Frigga shook her head in defeat and rose from the chair.

"I merely came to tell you that your father wishes to speak with you and your brother tomorrow morning."

"So he has finally decided to announce his heir?" Loki asked uncaringly.

"I believe so, yes."

Loki let out a huff. "Is their really any need to have a meeting with us? It is not as if we don't already know which one of us it will be."

"I am afraid that by law he must." Frigga explained.

"Very well, of course I will be there." Loki promised.

Frigga came and wrapped her arms around him.

"Remember that whatever decision your father has made, he loves you and Thor equally. If he could have it his way he would crown you both." She encouraged.

Loki smiled feebly and wrapped his arms around his mother.

"I know mother."

Frigga pulled back and brushed a loose strand of hair back from Loki's forehead before quietly leaving the room. Loki sunk down on the edge of his bed and sat with his shoulders slouched. Part of him was relieved that Odin was finally going to announce Thor as his heir since it meant that people would stop feeling the need to try to reassure him that he had just as much chance to sit upon the throne as his brother. He could never figure out why they bothered with such flattery since he could see straight through their lies. At least Odin had never really pretended that he was a true contender for the throne. It was always going to be Thor, as well it should be. Thor was the elder of them, and the people loved him. The citizens of Asgard would follow Thor as their king without question, and Loki knew it. The only thing he truly dreaded about the whole situation was the pitying looks and remarks that would be directed towards _him_. The whispers of "Poor Loki…" and "How terrible it must be to try and live up to the reputation of such a brother!" haunted his nightmares already, and the announcement had not even been made yet. Loki was about to sink into another round of depressing thoughts when a pair of shining blue-green eyes fixed his mind's attention. They were Sigyn's eyes, and they held a look of sheer admiration that Loki had begun to cling to desperately when he felt discouraged. He fell back on his bed and closed his eyes to better focus on Sigyn's. The rest of the realm could despise him, but it would hardly matter because there was one woman who stood above them all in intelligence and kindness, and she was his.


	23. Heirs and Honor

Author's Note: Welcome back everyone! I just wanted to say a quick "Thank you!" to all of you! I never thank my readers enough for favoriting (yep, I just made up a word), following, and reviewing. Seeing as you are fellow writers you know how important it is to have that kind of support! I own no one in this chapter except for my interpretation of Sigyn. **Reteka Hyuuga** Thank you for the Birthday Wishes, I had a marvelous day! I absolutely love Frigga not only is she kind and bold, but I think that she is secretly the sassiest of them all. **Snow White Queen** Thank you for the Birthday Well Wishes, I did have a wonderful birthday! I am sorry to hear you were so sick, and I hope that you are starting to feel better! I think your assessment of Fandral is spot on. Games of the heart are his specialty. Loki is not very perceptive about himself, and I think the cannon shows that nicely. Yes, Asgardian culture is quite different from the culture of today's society so Frida's advice does seem extremely backwards to us, though it isn't entirely archaic. For Sigyn and Loki there is always going to be friendly competition to see who will come out on top, but even they will face situations where someone has to make a decision and their equal levels of stubbornness will be highly problematic if they don't agree on the decision to be made. Yes, it is time for Frida to move on with her life, which means we all know who Sigyn is going to be spending more time with. Well choosing names for my non-cannon characters is not as deep as one might think. For this story I stuck to names of Nordic descent (Markus is a bit of an exception because the name it originates from, Marcus, is Roman, but I let myself use it anyway because the Romans did influence the Nordic culture.) I usually try to avoid using names that are easily confused with other characters (cannon or other non-cannon), but I did make a few exceptions for this story because of the extreme importance of family in the Norse culture, which in my imagining was influence by the Asgardian culture. Sigyn's father and brothers all have 'Hall' in their name: Halldor, Hallsteinn, and Halli (that is Sigyn's deceased brother, I have not mentioned his name in the story.) Iounn, Frida, and Arnora (Sigyn's eldest sister that is deceased) I imagine are all named after Halldor and Signy's mothers and grandmothers. The greatest exception to my non-similar rule is obviously Sigyn and Signy. I imagine that they named Sigyn for her mother. Hope that kind of answers your question :) Yes, I decided that Sigyn and Loki were being mushy enough that Sigyn didn't need to get out of control with signing her letter in some sappy way, that would just seem too out of character for her. The hooded figure is back again dun dun duuuuuun! We'll see what Loki does with this information, though not yet. I think Loki was very satisfied with his 'punishment,' and with 'punishment' like that Sigyn might be tempted to steal something else. **The One and Only A Nice Person **I see what you did there with your 'eheheh,' I will admit it made me giggle. Awww Thank you! Loki is a tough personality to capture so I hope I can stay consistent to him, though I know there will be times when he acts out of character. Hahaha I am glad that you enjoyed chapter 22 so much! It was one of my favorites to write, and to think I almost _didn't_ write it!

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Loki and Thor stood at attention before the AllFather in the throne room. The only other people present were the Queen and a handful of Odin's private guard. Thor oozed confidence and excitement as Odin droned on and on about the definition of a King and his responsibilities, but Loki could feel a little storm cloud hanging over his head. Why Odin couldn't skip the long drawn out vocabulary lesson and just proclaim Thor his heir was beyond the younger Prince's understanding. All Odin was doing was putting off the inevitable, and it smarted Loki's pride like salt in a fresh wound. The AllFather finally neared the ending of his speech and Loki braced himself for the wave of disappointment that Odin's next pronouncement would bring him. Even though logic dictated that Thor would be named the next king, it had not destroyed all Loki's hope that he might yet be chosen.

"… I have raised both of you, my sons, in a way befitting a king. While either of you would have made an accomplished ruler, only one of you will do so. Were it that I had two kingdoms to give! I would have placed a crown on both of your heads. Alas, this is not the case. I have only one throne to give away, and as my eldest, it is only right that it falls to Thor."

Thor's blue eyes glimmered with pride at the pronouncement, and Loki felt the sliver of hope he had held die. His brother took a step forward and bowed to Odin.

"I swear to you father that one day I will take up your place with such state and power as to make you proud." He promised.

Odin smiled at his eldest.

"I do not doubt it." He replied quietly.

Loki had assumed that with that he and Thor would be free to leave, but before they could make a motion to go Odin addressed Loki.

"Loki step forward."

Loki did as Odin bid him despite his confusion about why he had been told to do so.

"Just because you will not ascend the throne, does not mean your role will be any less important to Asgard. It will be up to you to be your brother's closest advisor and companion. You will have to be willing to speak the truth to him when others merely flatter…"

_"Not a particularly fitting job for the 'god of lies and deceit'…"_ Loki interjected silently.

"and believe me, giving council to a king is no easy task. Thor will need your many strengths to assist him when he does take the throne." Odin finished.

Loki gave a small bow.

"In faith, I shall do my best to aid my brother." He answered truthfully.

Thor clapped a hand on Loki's shoulder and gave him a good shake.

"To rule with my brother at my side? I would have it be no other way!" He declared with a huge smile.

_"I am sure you wouldn't."_ Loki thought a tad bitterly.

He smiled despite his bitterness though. He couldn't begrudge Thor things that were out of his control like the order of his birth or that he was the very definition of the model Asgardian. He truly loved his brother so he felt true happiness for him as well, but Thor's happiness did not lessen his own grievances.

Odin nodded his head as a sign that the two Princes were dismissed. The brothers left the throne room together, but did not speak till they were well away from its doors.

"Congratulations brother, not that I ever doubted your surety to succeed the AllFather."

"You are too hard on yourself Loki! You could have just as easily been chosen!"

"Do not flatter me Thor, not even Sigyn wished to see me on the throne." He noted with a smile.

"Did she truly say such?" Thor asked unbelievingly.

"Oh yes, she was very clear about it. She seemed to think that it would distract my attentions from her." Loki explained.

Thor laughed. "Why does something tell me it would have been the other way around?"

"You think she would have distracted my attentions from the duties of the crown?" Loki pressed playfully.

"Undoubtedly brother! A woman such as Lady Sigyn must be satisfied or else she will bring ruin on all she sees!"

"She can be a bit stubborn." Loki conceded.

"A bit stubborn? Why Loki that is an understatement if I have ever heard one. Never have I witnessed one so small whose full fury would likely cause even me to become faint of heart!"

"Then let us hope we never see her full fury then!"

The two laughed for a bit as they made their way to their normal meeting chamber.

"In truth brother, she suits you well." Thor stated in a more serious manner as he opened the doors to the room.

"Does she now?" Loki asked.

Sif and The Warriors Three were not there yet so Loki and Thor stretched out on the couches.

"Yes, you make quite a handsome couple. A dark Prince with his fair consort."

"Well should you take seriously to Lady Sif you shall be our inverse. A dark-haired warrior with her golden Prince." Loki returned.

Thor stretched his legs out with a smile.

"Have you discovered how to change Sif's hair back yet?"

"I might have an idea or two."

"And will you change it?"

"Probably not."

Thor shook his head.

"I think you have known how to reverse it all this time." He charged.

"What an accusation!" Loki replied in feigned indignation. "You were there as a witness when I tried to change it back and failed."

"Ah, but deceit is one of your greatest gifts is it not?" Thor reminded him with a smile. "Either way it hardly matters to me. Sif's new hair color suits her better now anyways. As for taking to her seriously, I doubt I shall take seriously to any woman anytime soon. Why should I tie myself to one, when I can have them all?"

"Not all." Loki pointed out

"So you don't intend to share Sigyn with me?" Thor teased.

"Decidedly not." Loki answered firmly.

"That is too bad, I am sure we three could have made a good time of it."

It took a moment for Thor's lewd jest to sink in, but when it did Loki let out a single laugh and let a pillow fly at Thor. Thor began laughing at Loki's reaction, and deflected the pillow with relative ease before sending one towards Loki. The few pillow barrages turned into an all-out war, and soon Loki and Thor found themselves wrestling about on the floor as teenage boys are want to do. Sif and The Warriors Three entered the chamber to find the royals on the floor in fits of laughter and a tangle of limbs.

"If you need a little privacy we can come back." Fandral joked.

The brothers quickly separated and tried to suppress their laughter.

"No need for that," Thor assured his friends, "Loki just found it necessary to defend Sigyn's honor."

"Looks like he was losing." Volstagg commented with a smile.

"Yes, well it is the thought that counts isn't it?" Fandral noted.

"So how did you slander Sigyn's honor in such a way that urged Loki to come to her defense?" Sif asked

"I merely suggested that Loki and she might enjoy a third member to their party every so often." Thor answered with a wink.

Sif rolled her eyes before taking a seat.

"They very well might," Fandral interjected with a grin, "but, correct me if I am wrong, didn't she slap you the last time you suggested bedding her?"

"And who would you suggest to take my place?" Thor asked curiously while plopping down on a couch.

"Someone a bit gentler perhaps? A man who is a gentleman no doubt, but skilled with his sword none the less." Fandral stated with a wink towards Loki, which earned him an eye roll from the Prince.

"Yourself? Please!" Sif lamented. "How old are you?"

"Old enough to know that a man has both needs and fantasies Lady Sif." Fandral volleyed back.

"What you are suggesting sounds more like a nightmare." Sif determined. "Sigyn would probably slap you and Thor both were she here."

"Hmm yet another fantasy." Fandral sighed.

Sif threw her hands up in the air in defeat while Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun, and Thor had a good chuckle. Loki conceded a smirk to the banter, but given that he still didn't trust Fandral to leave Sigyn alone, that was all he would allow himself.

"So what was it your father wished to speak to you both about this morning?" Sif asked once she felt the men in the group were ready to talk seriously.

"He wished to announce his heir." Thor stated nonchalantly.

"And?" Fandral asked when neither Thor nor Loki spoke up.

"I will take my father's place on the throne of Asgard." Thor answered.

Sif and The Warrior's three let out exclamations of excitement and congratulations. Loki began to slowly slink back onto the balcony to remove himself from the conversation if only just slightly. What he would have given to be with Sigyn in the library at this very moment.

"Well it only makes sense to have the strongest warrior in all of Asgard on the throne." Volstagg commented. "No offense, Loki." He added hastily when he remembered that Loki was standing right there.

"None taken." Loki assured.

"He is not only the best, but the most courageous." Hogun pointed out. "No offense, Loki."

"None taken." Loki replied in a bored tone.

"Not to mention the people love him…no offense, Loki." Fandral added.

"None taken." Loki answered mechanically.

"And he is the most…" Sif trailed off.

Loki looked at her with a daring stare. He knew exactly what she had been about to say, and he willed her to say it so that he could pounce. Intelligence. She had actually been about to suggest that Thor was the more intelligent of the two of them, but even Sif in all her hatred of him couldn't say something so blatantly false.

"And he is the eldest." She finally resigned herself to saying.

With that the group let the topic of Thor's inheritance drop, much to Loki's relief. If this conversation was going to be any indicator of the conversations that Loki would have to suffer through once Thor's succession to the throne was officially announced to the kingdom, then he was in for a lot of misery.


	24. The Queen's request

Author's Note: Hi there to all the followers new and old! I own my interpretation of Sigyn, her family, and Markus. **The One and Only A Nice Person **our inability to pin Loki down is not only why he is so fun to write, but why people have really taken to his character. Most characters in the Marvel series are exceedingly easy to predict, but we tend to like them for their certain amount of predictability (Tony Stark is the best example) Loki seems to be the only one that we love for his unpredictability, and that really sets him apart from many of the other characters (and definitely sets him apart from the other villains). Aw yea, pillow fights are great, though I imagine demigod pillow fights can be a little destructive… I bet everyone is probably going to enjoy riling Loki up over Sigyn. It will be their revenge for every time he has done so to them (which is probably a lot). Well The Warrior's Three and Sif were certainly not being thoughtful of the fact Loki was standing right there, but they weren't saying anything that wasn't true (except for Sif's almost misstep) or that Loki didn't know. They just got a little carried away in their excitement for Thor. Sif was probably the only one gunning to upset Loki, and probably was the only one who failed to do so. Well I was going to write Chapter 22, but my original idea for Sigyn talking to Loki about her sister's engagement looked far different from what I actually wrote. I had been meaning to write a scene with the two of them sneaking about the town just to give them a change of scenery, and right before I wrote Chapter 22 the idea came to me to put those two scenes together. The result is what you read. I think my fear with posting that chapter was that their attachment/physical intimacy was advancing too quickly. That is why I specified that some time has passed since the hoof to the head incident. I don't want them to get too mushy too fast!

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Snow was lightly falling on the two families that had come to watch Markus and Frida be wed. The burgundy and gold of Markus's family colors stood out like a wine stain against the white powder, while the deep midnight blue and silver of Frida's family seemed to compliment the snowflakes. The bride and groom looked extremely handsome standing across from each other. Markus had chosen to keep his family's burgundy for he and Frida's primary family color while Frida decided on bronze for their accent. They both wore their new colors symbolizing their separation from their father's houses, and their union as man and wife. Sigyn smiled a sad smile as Markus and Frida exchanged their rings. Two weeks of preparing had come down to this, and Sigyn could no longer deny that she was losing her sister. She would have given anything to have Loki standing beside her assuring her that just because Frida was getting married didn't mean that she was losing her for good. Oh Loki. Getting to see him again was one of the few things that had led Sigyn to wish the days to the wedding to pass quickly. Once the vows had been said, the newlywed couple and their families feasted and danced the night away. Towards the end of the evening Markus went off to what would be he and Frida's house, while the rest of the wedding party lit torches in preparation to lead the bride there. Frida tracked Sigyn down before the final rite, and embraced her.

"I am so happy for you." Sigyn said as she held on to her sister.

"Thank you Sigyn…" Frida replied while pulling back. "Someday you will be just as happy as I am." She assured.

"I can only hope that I will be that blessed."

"Sigyn… I know this isn't easy for you, and I promise it will not be easy for me either. I just want you to know that you are always welcome in my household. Markus and I would hate for you to feel unwelcome with us."

"I know that Frida." Sigyn assured

"Good…Now that I am gone it will be up to you to look out for mother and father. Promise me you will!"

"I promise... Frida…" Sigyn found herself at a loss for words.

Her throat felt dry, and she could feel hot tears beginning to sting her eyes. Unable to speak, Sigyn threw herself into her sister's embrace again. She didn't know who began to cry first, but neither of the sister's was able to quell their bittersweet tears.

"You know… if the Prince were to see you like this… he…he would probably die of shock." Frida teased between her tears.

Sigyn began to laugh a little and Frida joined her. The pair finally pulled away from each other and Sigyn's face shone with pride and admiration.

"You are surely the most beautiful bride Asgard has ever seen."

"Hardly, especially now that my makeup is all smeared from crying." Frida protested.

"That is an easy enough fix!" Sigyn assured before beginning to wipe the smudges off of Frida's face. "See, all done…"

Signy approached her daughters hurriedly.

"There you are Frida! I've been looking all over for you…it's time."

Frida nodded in understanding and gave Sigyn's hand a little squeeze. Sigyn smiled and followed after her mother and sister. She was a little mad that no one would let her carry a torch in the procession, and she guessed that was just one of the many disadvantages to being the youngest. Frida sent Sigyn one last happy glance before she entered the threshold of her new home, and into her new life.

Days trickled by after the wedding, and though Sigyn wanted nothing more than to see Loki, she was unable to do so. Her mother wanted to spend time preparing for the Winter Solstice Celebration. She had been overjoyed when Sigyn had mentioned that Loki had asked to be her escort to the celebration, but she hadn't had time to fuss over what Sigyn would wear and whatnot due to the wedding. Now that Signy had the wedding behind her, she could fuss over her youngest daughter. There would have been a point in her life when her mother's overbearing attentions would have bothered Sigyn, but she was so overjoyed that her mother was as close to her old self as she was ever likely to be that she didn't care. She spent hours looking at fabrics for her gown, trying different hairdos, and practicing her etiquette with her mother.

The day of the big celebration arrived, and the Queen sent word that she wished Sigyn to prepare herself at the palace. Sigyn was trying to figure out how she would get all her garments, hairpieces, and accessories into Roan's saddlebag when a carriage from the palace arrived. She felt that sending a carriage to come fetch her was a bit much, but she was glad that the Queen had done so anyways because she was fairly certain that there was no possible way to get all of her things into a single saddlebag. Sigyn bid her parents a quick goodbye and clambered into the carriage with all her things. The inside was spacious to say the least, and she felt quite small sitting in it all by herself. Though she wanted to look out the window as they rode towards the palace, she didn't particularly want people to look in and see her. Her need for privacy was greater than her need to watch scenery pass by that she had seen hundreds of times before, so she lowered the shades to the windows. It felt like an eternity before the carriage finally came to a stop and the door opened. A pair of servants took Sigyn's things from her and Frigga was waiting to greet her upon exiting the carriage. Sigyn gave a curtsy to the Queen and thanked her for sending the carriage.

"I thought it would be best. I had a feeling you might try to ride over on horseback." Frigga noted. "Now come, I brought you here a bit early so that we may chat a little."

Sigyn complied with the Queen's request, and tried to imitate her grace as they walked down the halls aimlessly.

"I have hardly gotten to see you these past months seeing as Loki has taken all my time with you away." The Queen stated with a smile.

"Surely you mean that _I_ am taking _his_ time with you away." Sigyn maintained.

"Oh no my dear, I have seen plenty of Loki." Frigga assured. "Especially these past two weeks. Tell me, how was your sister's wedding?"

"Very beautiful, My Queen. I doubt the Realm has ever seen a happier bride."

"And have your parents adjusted well to the loss of their daughter?"

"They have, My Queen. I have not seen them this happy in a long time. I feel as though they see it as they have gained a son in Markus as opposed to having lost a daughter in Frida."

"A very wise way to look upon it." Frigga approved. "And how have you taken the change?"

"I would be lying if I said it has been easy. I am the only child left in my father's household, and I suppose that will take some time to get adjusted to."

"Yes, I am sure it will."

The two women fell into silence, and while that normally wouldn't bother Sigyn, she felt as though there was a purpose behind the Queen wishing to speak with her in private.

"My Queen I hope you won't think me presumptuous, but is there some reason you wished to speak with me?"

Frigga looked down at Sigyn warmly.

"I should have known you would perceive that I have reasons for wishing to speak with you. If you weren't so clever Loki wouldn't have taken to you as he has."

"It is about Loki that you wish to speak, isn't it?"

Frigga nodded.

"What do you think of him?"

Sigyn was a little surprised by the question, but answered it anyways.

"Well he is my closest friend aside from Frida, so I obviously think highly of him."

"You don't have to paint a gilded picture of my son for my sake Sigyn. I know Loki's faults better than most. Disregard that he is a Prince and give me your honest estimation of him, both the good _and_ the bad."

Sigyn contemplated her words for a moment before taking a deep breath and giving the Queen her answer.

"Loki is a good and intelligent person. He certainly likes to push the boundaries in his fun, but never would he let his tricks put someone in danger. He tends to be a bit possessive and prone to jealousy, but that's just the childishness in him. While he is observant and would rather study the interactions of others than take part, I tend to think that every so often he would give anything to be the center of attention like his brother. In all honesty My Queen, I think Loki struggles with the fact that he is not more like Thor. Sometimes I catch him watching Thor with a look of admiration and wistfulness, and I don't think he even realizes he is doing it. He tries so hard to win the approval of Asgard, but he must think it an impossible situation. When he attempts to do it by being like Thor they laugh because he cannot be like his brother, and when he attempts to win approval by being himself they laugh because he is not more like Thor. In truth, it makes me sad."

Frigga nodded to Sigyn.

"You seem to know him well, which is no less than I expected… Odin is to officially announce Thor as his heir tonight at the banquet. Loki and Thor already know this, but I am sure that it will still sting Loki's pride. I know I don't have to ask you to support him in this because you would have done so of your own volition, but as a mother it puts my mind at ease to ask it of you. Be Loki's solace once the announcement is made. Normally I would do so myself, but while comfort from a mother has its place, comfort from a beautiful girl carries more weight with a boy of Loki's age."

"I will My Queen, though the comfort will carry weight not because I am a beautiful girl, but because I am a friend."

"Well said child. The fact that you are a beautiful girl will only add to your advantage over me then."

A servant came around the corner and curtsied to the two women.

"Lady Sigyn's bath is run, My Queen."

"Very good." Frigga replied before looking at Sigyn. "I thought you might like to rinse off before getting ready so I had the servants draw a bath for you in Thor and Loki's bath chambers."

Sigyn knew that her face mirrored her disbelief, and the Queen gave a little chuckle.

"Never fear my dear, the boys are out and not scheduled to return for a while yet. You will have plenty of time to bathe before they even begin to think about preparing for the banquet." Frigga assured.

Sigyn nodded, though she didn't feel the situation was any less peculiar. The servant led the way to their bath chambers, informed Sigyn that she would be back to fetch her in an hour, and then left Sigyn to her business. Sigyn was a tad paranoid that Thor might barge into the room at any second so she made sure that the door was tightly latched, and she was even more paranoid that Loki was hiding somewhere in the shadows so she gave the entire chamber a close inspection. Only when she was completely satisfied that the Princes where nowhere to be found did she slip out of her clothes and sink into the giant bath. Sigyn's family was extremely well off, but even her mother and father's bath chambers paled in comparison to the size and luxuriousness of Loki and Thor's. She could only imagine what the King and Queen's chambers looked like. The perfumed water was still rather warm when Sigyn slid into it, but she didn't mind. She submerged herself entirely before rubbing the soaps and oils into her skin and scalp. After letting those sit in her hair for a while she dunked under the surface again. Her hygiene now taken care of, Sigyn was free to relax until the maid came to retrieve her. She closed her eyes and let the warm water lull her into a semi-state of consciousness, which she remained in till she heard someone try to open the door. Sigyn quickly jumped out of the water and threw a towel around herself. She had forgotten that she had barred the maid out when she latched the door to ensure neither of the Royal Princes stumbled in upon her bathing. The maid knocked and Sigyn answered by swiftly throwing up the latch and opening the door.

"Prince Thor!" She gasped as the knocker was revealed.

"Lady Sigyn?" He asked more in amusement than shock.

Sigyn tried to curtsy, but it was no easy task while holding up a towel to cover herself as best she could.

"Forgive me, your mother had the servants draw a bath for me. She assured me that you and Loki were previously engaged and would not return for quite some time!" She defended while trying to keep eye contact with the Prince.

In all honesty, it was difficult for her to look at him at all. He wore nothing but a bath towel around his waist so she tried to keep her eyes locked with his.

"We were away, but our business didn't take as long as we had planned." Thor noted.

While Sigyn desired nothing more than to run out of the bathroom, it was not an option with Thor's large frame blocking her only exit. She could feel his eyes scan her scantily covered body as she tried to look past him to ensure no one else was coming.

"Loki isn't anywhere around here is he?" She asked as calmly as possible.

"I am not sure, I thought you were him." Thor explained.

Sigyn let out a little 'ah' as she readjusted her towel. Thor's eyes held a look that bespoke a conflicting conscience. She could see flashes of carnal desire war with propriety and respect. She believed that his sense of propriety stemmed from her standing as a Lady of the court, and that the look of respect was for Loki's regard for her. The propriety and respect in him seemed to be winning out, but Sigyn couldn't help but think that if she had been a servant or any other Lady he would already have acted on his physical desires. A squeak came from behind Thor in the antechamber and Sigyn glanced around to see the serving girl from earlier.

"My Prince, I am so sorry! The Queen said you were not to arrive back for another two hours…"

"It is fine. Prince Loki and I arrived back early." He replied while keeping his gaze on Sigyn.

"My Lady, I have brought you a robe." The servant offered feebly.

"Thank you very much." Sigyn replied gratefully. "My Lord?"

Thor understood Sigyn's unspoken request and gave a slight nod of his head before turning his body to the side so she could go past him. Even so, Sigyn couldn't get out the door without brushing Thor on her way out. She had a feeling that had been his intent in merely turning aside. The servant handed Sigyn the robe and her undergarments before turning her back so Sigyn could put them on. Sigyn looked to Thor and he averted his head to give her some privacy. She slipped the garments on while still managing to keep the towel wrapped around her, and then slipped the robe on over. She didn't allow the towel to fall to the floor till she had securely fastened the robe around her waist. After tossing the soiled towel in a basket she addressed the Crown Prince.

"I shall see you tonight, My Prince."

"I look forward to it, Lady Sigyn."

After a quick curtsy, Sigyn turned and left the antechamber. The maid retrieved Sigyn's soiled clothes from the bath then quickly followed her out. Once inside the room that had been set-aside for her to prepare herself in, Sigyn was allowed to brush the tangles out of her damp hair. The maid then instructed her to sit in front of the vanity and she braided small sections of Sigyn's hair before pulling it halfway back. She finally took the rest of it and used cloth strips to tie it up. She instructed Sigyn to do her makeup and promised she would return in time to finish her hair. Sigyn did as she was bid, and the maid returned not long after she finished. Sigyn's hair, now completely dry, was released from its cloth bindings and fell in ringlets down her back. The maid smiled in satisfaction and left the room so Sigyn could finish getting ready. It didn't take long for Sigyn to slip on her gown and put her jewelry on, leaving her nothing to do till Loki arrived to fetch her. She wasn't sure how much longer she would have to wait for him, but since she did have to wait she took some time to practice her dancing. As the consort of a Prince, there would be critical eyes watching her every move this evening. Sigyn curtsied to her invisible partner before closing her eyes and beginning to go through the motions. She could do this; she had been doing it since she was a child. One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three…


End file.
